All is Fair
by Foreverfirstloves
Summary: DELENA GREEK GOD AU ("Can you even imagine yourself in paradise? Even the daughters of gods must know loneliness, must sometimes want nothing more than to be trapped in a hell of forevers. Thank me, you queen. I've given you forever." - Clementine von Radics) A daughter of Aphrodite makes a deal with the son of Hades, and must deal with the consequences of its fallout.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay guys, here it is! This story has been on the back burner for a while, but I'm finally getting it out here for ya'll!**

 **I'm really excited to write it and hope you guys enjoy reading!**

 **Be warned, some characters may seem a little OOC at times, but it will all work out, trust me :)  
**

 **Also this is a darker fic, so trigger warning! Rated M and not everyone's cup of tea!**

 **Disclaimer: If I owned these characters, TVD, or the CW, I would not be writing here lol**

 **On with the story now!**

* * *

Her face was beauty; her body, incomparable.

And the pretty looks made her the perfect predator.

No one ever suspected that she was death, in heels and tight leather.

Her chocolate hair was the kind that mortals wrote poems about, yet never was it mentioned that the gleam of light her locks reflected would be the last thing hundreds, or even thousands, would see before she took their final breath from them.

That her dark doe eyes, framed by lashes curling on cheeks so delicate, would look down upon her victims as they gasped for life, before she would finally plunge a sword through their hearts.

No, the poets would never describe how she wipes more blood off of her angel face than that which runs through her veins.

But she does. She loves it. And she's good at it.

With her particular skill set, she wasn't denied very often.

And she was counting on that now, as the bone trembling howls filled the air.

His hounds had caught her scent; he knew she was here.

 _It's showtime_.

* * *

Damn it, he should have known.

As soon as he heard the screaming, and found the first of his guard beheaded, he should have known it was her that had set off the alarm.

Who else could have found their way in, undetected?

Who else even had the nerve to storm the gates of the Underworld uninvited.

Or the audacity...

Flanked by two snarling hounds of hell, Damon followed the trail of bodies to the double cast iron doors that were usually sealed closed.

Now, however, they were wide open, more beheaded corpses holding them in place.

Beyond them, stretched comfortably across his throne, was Elena in all her glory.

She dressed like the goddess she was, the skirt of her charcoaled dress slit so that it fell around her, exposing the skin of her legs as the corset top hugged her curves and left little to the imagination.

Another mangled body lay at base of the stairs, near her feet, the victim's head still speared on the sword she now twirled in her hand.

Upon seeing him, she straightened, a smile crossing her painfully beautiful face.

"Hades. It's been too long, my love."

Damon rose a hand, a silent command for his dogs to stand down, as they had both began to emit a low growl.

They obliged his will, and he stepped forward.

"Hades was the calling given to my father. A title I do not wish to behold."

Elena grinned, "And yet, you are the one who sent his soul to the Pit. Does that not make you the next lord of death? _King_ of the Underworld?"

"It was _your_ father with the vendetta against him," he reminded her, "His request that enlisted my assistance, and I have the contract to prove it."

Binding in gods-blood.

Her smile was teasing, "And yet, you're still the one who took the throne."

Damon could feel his patience running thin.

"One I'm quite ready to take again," he warned, "How did you even get in? Who opened a portal for you?"

"A portal?" she laughed, "I walked in through your front door."

"That's impossible. Cerberus-"

"Is as in love with me as his master is," she smiled darkly.

Damon sighed, thinking that it might be time to find a new gate guarder if the beast couldn't do it's job, "What are you doing here, Elena?"

She stood, her heeled boots clacking as she slowly descended the scorched stairs.

Casually, she gripped the hair of her last victim and pulled the head from the tip of her blade, tossing it with its body, before sheathing the weapon and taking the final step that placed her in front of him.

Even with the heels, she wasn't quite his height.

"Hmm, why could I possibly be here?" She pretended to think, before running her index finger down his chest, crinkling the black material of his cloaked shirt, "Maybe I wanted to see you again...maybe I missed you."

Her eyes taunted him, like a cat playing with a mouse before having it for dinner.

"I love what you've done with the place, by the way," she added, glancing around the room, and noting the domed ceiling that led to darkness, the pool of unplaced souls to the left of her, throwing orange shades on everything, and ironically, a silver liquor cart, to her right, with all you could ever want to quench your thirst, "Your father's tastes were a little...ancient."

Damon eyed her, "I'll admit that it looked better before red stained the floor of my altar. Did you really need to kill the _entire_ guard to get in?"

She smirked, bringing her gaze back to his, "Of course not. But come on now, love, don't be mad. It's not like you can't bring them all back anyway...being lord of the dead and all, you control the veil."

Damon grabbed the hand she had placed on his pec, squeezing her palm, "An unnecessary inconvenience, otherwise avoidable. So, why don't you tell me who this show was for, exactly?"

"It's for you," she stated, pulling her hand from his grip, but not bothering to step back, despite the fact that they were now only an inch apart, "It's to remind you of what of I am capable of, should you refuse me."

Damon moved past her, walked the dark marble steps to his throne, and sat down.

As he did, heat expelled from the stone until fire erupted on either side of him.

He smirked.

Looking down at Elena gave him a sense of satisfaction, the flames reflecting off her dark skin.

"Not sure as to what I am refusing. You've yet to tell me what you're asking for."

Elena crossed her arms, but didn't try to come any closer than the base of his stairs.

He may be immune to the sting of the hell fire, but she was not.

"I need your...assistance," she forced, seeming unhappy with the fact, "There is a mortal, whom my heart favors-"

"You don't have a heart," he cut, earning a scowl from her.

"My point," she finished, "is that I _want_ him-"

"Poor bastard."

She wasn't amused, "I'm serious, Damon."

He leaned forward, "So what, did he refuse to sleep with you and now you want him dead?"

"This has nothing to do with sex," she huffed.

"Now that I don't believe," Damon reasoned, "With you, it always does. It is your favorite weapon, after all; your mother taught you well."

She shrugged, "I have many weapons at my disposal. Physical manipulation is a useful tactic, but hardly my favorite. If you actually came around every now and then you might be surprised to find how wrong you are about a lot of your assumptions. But alas, you prefer it here, so far removed from the rest of us."

He laughed, "It's highly doubtful that I'm wrong about much. But do you know what's not surprising? The fact that you haven't been satisfied since we ended our thing."

Elena's lips pursed, "I would hardly call a few wine induced moments together a "thing". Especially when nothing of consequence actually happened."

"Enough happened," he pressed in a low voice, hoping to get under her skin.

Instead, her eyes rolled, "Believe it or not, Damon, you aren't as good as you think you are."

He smiled, "I don't recall you saying that at the time. In fact, I don't remember anything coherent leaving your mouth at all."

That won him a glare and his smile broadened, but Elena fired back.

"If we are dredging up the past, perhaps I should remind you of the moans that left _your_ mouth once my hands were on you. We both know that I'm the best you've never had."

Damon chuckled, "Well, you are certainly one of a kind, my sweet. But shelving that affair, I don't think I will be of use to you in this situation. Unless you want the male dead, I fail to see how I can offer much assistance."

Elena sighed, "It's not him that I want dead. It's the woman he keeps in his bed at night."

Damon had to fight back a sigh. He should have seen this coming..

"Tell me you are wasting my time for a better reason than this."

He motioned to his temporarily deceased guard, "Clearly ending a mortal life is well within your capabilities."

"That's just it," she insisted, "It is not exactly a mortal that I need taken care of. This particular life...it can not be ended by my hand."

"Just by your words," Damon crooked his head, curious now, "Who is it then? Or should I ask, what is it?"

Elena threw her hair over her shoulder, annoyed, "Does it matter?"

"If you want my help it does," he told her.

She huffed, "Fine. It's a halfling, alright? A mixed blood."

"Who's?" He asked, his expression stormed over with realization, as he guessed at what her next words were going to be.

Elena stared up at him, unflinching, "A daughter of Aphrodite."

Damon blinked, then laughed darkly.

"And you are serious," he scoffed, "Some things never change, do they? You would have me kill your own blooded sister, over a mortal male you desire? Surely even you aren't that selfish."

She crossed her arms, "It's no more sacrilege than patricide, wouldn't you agree?"

Before he could answer, she had taken a step closer to his alter, "Besides, this half-breed might be my mother's daughter, but she is no sister of mine. She does not have the gods-blood! Her father is _human!_ So don't lecture me, because you're no better. At least I don't hide away in my "no Olympians allowed" treehouse, like you do. What's the matter? Did the need for solitude come when you realized what a dick you were?"

Damon rose a brow at her defensive stance, and smirked, "Did the need to act like a cold hearted bitch come from wanting daddy's approval?"

Metal clanged as Elena drew her sword and pointed it at him, the blade still darkened with the blood of his guard, "Watch it."

His hounds let out a disapproving growl, their jowls snapping, but remained in place.

Damon could only laugh as a subtle blush flooded Elena's cheeks.

"How is Ares nowadays?" he couldn't help but bait, "Still pining after your mother? Or has he found another whore to warm his bed?"

Elena lowered the weapon, scowling, "It is not as if you have room to speak ill of him."

"Speak ill? Of him?" Damon raised a hand defensively, "No, not at all. On the contrary, my sweet, I respect the war god. Half the souls I receive are sent by the works of his hand."

Elena let out a "hmph", and Damon stood, the fire immediately distinguishing.

"Ares may be a brute," he finished, once he stood before her, "But he understands that only two things are truly immortal through our existence. Love and death. And to hell if he doesn't excel at both. You are like him, in that aspect."

* * *

Elena was focused on his face, and was therefore caught unaware when, in a quick movement, Damon grabbed her wrist, twisting it backwards, forcing her sword from her hand.

She stumbled as he pushed her back, but she wasn't her father's daughter for nothing.

With a quick turn, she evaded his grab for her and flipped, pulling a dagger from her thigh sheath as she did so.

She lunged for his throat, but Damon was prepared, grabbing her arms and flicked the blade from her fingers.

Her elbow flew up suddenly, connecting with his face.

Shaking his focus, Elena ringled from his grip, dropping for a spin kick, with enough power to knock his feet out from under him.

Damon fell onto his back, the stairs holding him at an odd angle, as Elena whirled over, and was suddenly straddling him, sword in both hands, raised above his chest.

The hellhounds snarled in the background, awaiting their master's command, as Elena's own chest heaved with each breath.

"Now," she huffed, "Nothing more about my family. Vow to help me, and I won't drive my blade through your body."

Damon let his head fall back as he laughed.

"Oh, I _have_ missed you."

Elena's perfectly curved brows furrowed in confusion as Damon reached up and placed his hands over hers on the sword's hilt.

Then, holding her gaze, Damon forced the blade down, until it pierced him.

Elena's mouth fell open in surprise as he impaled himself.

" _Είμαι ο θάνατος_ ," he spat, " _I am death_."

Pushing her off of him, he pulled himself up,before gripping the sword and yanking it from his body.

It was unbelievably painful, but not fatal.

With a cocky smirk, he threw the weapon at her feet.

"Did you really think you could threaten me to submission with that child's toy?"

Elena bit her bottom lip, clearly disappointed with the turn of events, but managed to snark out, "It did not used to take even that much."

Damon sighed, looking away from her heartbreaking face before he fell prey to it, like so many others.

Like the fool he used to be.

She was so used to having others play by her rules, taking as she pleased with a seductive smile.

Perhaps it was time for him to show her how quickly she could lose that control.

It would give him great pleasure to conduct her unravelling.

* * *

"I will help you."

He didn't have to look at her to know her head had just shot up, her eyes boring into his skull.

"Why?" She demanded suspiciously.

Damon chuckled, as he once again took his seat on the throne.

This suspicion wasn't new to him.

"Ares' daughter through and through, aren't you?"

She remained unamused, so Damon cut his teasing.

"I'm doing it because I can," he told her, "Because you asked me. Because I want to. And because having you in my debt could prove beneficial."

"Your debt," she measured, "What exactly is it that you want?"

He could only smirk, "I'll think of something worthwhile."

Elena scowled, "You're a swine, you smug bastard."

"Can I take that as your agreement?" Damon grinned.

He wasn't too surprised when he was flashed a middle finger.

Wordlessly, she picked up her sword and stormed out of the double doors, kicking a decapitated head out of her as she did so.

* * *

With a smirk, Damon relaxed further into his seat, beckoning the hell hounds to his side and stroking their coarse fur as his thoughts captivated him.

If he knew Elena, and he did, she would be back soon with an agreement, along with conditions of her own, and he'd be drawing up a contract for them to sign.

With careful planning, this could prove very rewarding indeed.

He would just have to hope that Aphrodite wasn't too fond of this particular bastard spawn.

* * *

 **That concludes the first chapter! Let me know what ya'll think about it and what else you would like to see happen in the story!**

 **Thanks for reading and have a good day/night! :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**I loved all the reviews for the first chapter! Thank you guys so much! I'm glad you seem to like the story so far! :)**

 **I know a few of you were concerned about Elena, so I'll go ahead and restate: She is going to be a little OOC at first.  
** **I went for a cross between Katherine and no-humanity Elena.** **This is on purpose.**

 **Again, it is not everyone's cup of tea, and I get that, but it will change some as the story progresses. (Keep in mind it is a dark story though, so some characters will remain a little OOC for that fact).**

 **Also, she has her reasons for seeming this way, some of which are explained in this chapter ;)**

 **I'll shut up now and let ya'll get to it lol, happy reading! :)**

* * *

The realm of the gods on Mt. Olympus was bright, compared to the murky darkness of the Underworld's caverns.

Elena had to blink several times before her sight fully adjusted to the change, and once they had, she took in the scene around her.

In a thousand years, nothing in the mountain's structure had changed.

The columns and archways from the ancient times were imbedded into the rock, through years of growth, green vines twisting around the porcelain marble, marking the place as the palace it was.

The light of a fading sun brushed over it all in sharp yellow rays, shimmering off the tressels like crystal, and the beauty of the floating haven was typically lost to no one.

Elena, however, found it relatively easy to ignore as she made her way through one of the arches, and up a cobble set of stairs that led to her mother's abode.

She was ignored by everyone, except for the servants clothed in white gowns fluttering about, who bowed their heads as she passed them, until she crossed into the shimmering veil that cloaked her mother's home.

The oceanic smell was the first give away, followed by the pale reds and pinks of the roses overgrown from Aphrodite's gardens.

The plantation was everywhere with its greenery and blossoms, cloaking the stone walls with its tendrils and sweet aromas.

Even the wilted petals retained their vitality, littering the floor with velvet kisses of color.

They stuck to the heel of her boot as she walked over them, pushing through ivory drapes that opened into an evergreen green court.

Doves fluttered about, dipping into the baths her mother always had fresh for them, the purity of their feathers commonplace among the fresh gardens.

"Mother," Elena addressed when her eyes fell to the goddess herself, filling a basket with freshly pruned summer roses as her personal attendants followed close behind.

Aphrodite smiled over her shoulder at the sight of her daughter.

"Elena, darling."

Elena paused some feet away, offering a short bow of her head as her mother passed the basket off to her handmaidens.

"You reek of death, my daughter," Aphrodite tsked with displeasure, "Come, come."

Taking hold of Elena's arm in a fierce grip, Aphrodite led her through the garden, up white marble stairs, to her chambers.

It was a place she had frequented as a child, the large bed cascading the center of the unbarred room, the edge of the space opened with columns to the clouds and setting sun.

When she had felt daring, Elena would sit at the rooms edge, her feet dangling off to the vast sky below.

She had stopped visiting the place, once a suitor of her mother's had discovered her presence and threatened to throw her from the edge.

Of course, he had been the one tossed over, not that it killed him; but it was unlikely he would be forgetting the fall any time soon.

"Death follows you through the halls," Aphrodite sighed, pushing back strands of Elena's dark hair, "A hundred moons pass since I've last seen you, and you come to me shroud in blood. What has happened?"

"I paid a visit to an old friend," she smiled, "And there will be time for cleansing later. I've come to ask you something."

Her mother motioned for her to continue, so with a sigh, she did, "Have you ever hated someone you were supposed to love? Or loved someone you were meant to hate?"

Aphrodite blinked, as if expecting these to be the last words to fall from her daughter's lips.

"I believe we all have," she admitted thoughtfully, "At some point or another. Immortality is a long time not to make mistakes."

"So love can be a mistake," Elena reasoned, shifting so that her arms rested upon her knees.

"Love breeds life," her mother corrected, "Life is the existence of all. That is never a mistake."

"But-"

"But it is possible to love dangerously, toxically, in a way that destroys," Aphrodite elaborated, "And when love destroys, can it truly be love?"

Elena considered her question, visions of blue eyes and black scorched thrones running across her thoughts, "It can not?"

Aphrodite sighed, long and deeply; a sentiment Elena had heard many times through the passing seasons.

"I wish you would stay," the goddess placed a delicate hand over hers, "There is so much still that I wish to help you learn...teachings that do not require steel weapons and the carnage of bloodshed."

The weight of her sword pressed coldly between her shoulder blades, but Elena said nothing.

Her mother laughed, as if she had read her thoughts in her expression, "But of course, _my_ teachings were never what you wanted, were they?"

Elena smiled warmly at the accusation, "Oh, mother mine. You were the one who first taught me how to want anything at all."

"Perhaps," Aphrodite allowed, her dark eyes, so like her daughters, casting out to the last rays of sun, reflecting a sad sort of yearning, "I may have taught you to want. Wanting is our nature; embedded in the ichored blood that fills your veins. But it was your father who taught you to take as you pleased, offering nothing in return."

The mention of Ares fell bitter from the goddess's lips, and this time, Elena thought that perhaps she recognized the look in her mother's eyes.

"And still, you love him," her whisper echoed throughout the columns, clinging to the marble and the blooming flowers.

Aphrodite smiled, the layered braid that pulled up her light colored hair swishing as she turned to look at her daughter.

Delicate hands lifted to cup Elena's face, seeking her gaze.

"Even a toxic love can breed life. A rose of beauty, grown among thorns."

 _And strangled with their barbs_ , she yearned to shout, but bit her tongue until she tasted iron in her mouth.

She was the daughter of love and war. Beauty incarnate with death in her veins.

She was the rose. She was the thorns.

And there was no place for her here, in the realm of gods who coveted the shell of her body while denying the weapon she was born to be.

A mother who thought her too brash, too cold, too much; a father who taught her the taste of dirt and pain until she could pass the lesson on to others with hardly a batted eye at her bleeding hands.

Of _course_ she wanted what she was not allowed to want.

Of _course_ she took what she was not supposed to take.

Because as surely as the sun would set and rise again, there was not a soul, immortal or otherwise, that was going to give her a damn thing without a fight.

No, she would survive the way she always had.

By wrapping her fingers tightly around the things she desired and delivering a sharpened blade through the heart of anyone who would stand in her way.

* * *

Rivers flowed throughout the underworld, connecting through the realms; each serving their own purpose.

Frozen reservoir of souls.

Waters of truth.

Waves of oblivion.

Lake of fire.

Damon had not appreciated the magic of their existence until long after his father's demise, when he had often found himself visiting them for counsel.

Like now, he would wade out until the piercing dark waves molded around the bones of his hips, the whispers of the water caressing his skin with eons of knowledge that they possessed.

The marsh of the Styx, who's depths were guarded by the goddess whose name the river bared, often offered him the most clarity.

He pulled a dagger from the drapes around his waist, slicing the blade against his palm until red ran down his fingers.

Thick as the blood that poured into it, the black waves span as he waded through them, until a lone figure appeared, as captivating and haunting as ever.

He replaced the knife before gazing upon his company.

Her skin was as white as a corpse, paled and hallowed from her existence beneath the surface.

Razor teeth gleamed as she smiled coldly, black as ink hair floating around her as she swam closer, rising with each inch until she was face to face with him.

Damon had learned quickly not to anger the river goddess with demands, especially when seeking information.

"My lord," she hissed with a sliver of a tongue that reminded him of a serpent, "You bring me questions…a mind so full."

Her whispered voice tightened his skin, as it echoed breathily off the water's surface.

"You know what I want," he stated boldly, meeting her black stare, "And you _are_ the keeper of oaths."

"You want to know if Ares blood debt extends to the pretty daughter," she slithers around him with a cackle that bounces off of the cavern walls surrounding them.

Damon did not need to confirm this truth. She already knew; had known the moment his blood touched her water.

"You desire this daughter of war, and _this_ is your plan to have her?"

"The contract," he reigned her back to the point without indulging her question, "Ares is bound to it."

"A waste," she sighed mournfully, "But yes...what you want is possible."

The answer he was hoping for.

"This is...good. I offer gratitude to you, my lady."

"Gratitude," she mocked, "I am but a slave to your domain; despite your pretty words."

"It is my domain," he agreed, "And as you know, I reward those who prove loyal to me in it."

Her smile returned, wanting and cold, "I hunger for souls. Famished with the lack of their sustenance."

He nodded, an easy bargain, "A sacrifice will be made to you once I return. You have my word."

"So generous," she hissed, her arms wrapping around him, her voice licking his ear, "Had your father been half as giving as you are, perhaps I would have warned him of your intentions."

A brush of a tongue against his pulse was followed by a starved moan, "A worthy soul, son of Hades...or perhaps I will fail to mention rumor of your demise as well."

The threat remained, even as she returned to the water, and Damon ignored the shiver that ran down his spine because of it.

The words followed him as he waded back to the river's edge, pulling himself free, reminding him of the death that stained his hands.

Hades had it coming.

He had angered too many of the gods, had lived his days in a lawful neutrality, as unyielding as the statues his worshipers prayed to.

He cared for nothing; respected nothing but the inevitability of death, and angered when anyone threatened disruption to the balance he so carefully weighted.

Which was what had brought Ares to Damon in the first place.

Hades had interfered with the war plans of the god, insisting that the turmoil it would cause would bring too much death.

Would upset the balance.

He had even threatened to take the matter to Zeus if Ares did not heed his warnings and back down.

It was not the first time he had stayed Ares hand, and clearly, the god of war was tired of having his domain controlled by another.

But it is not easy to kill a god, especially one who ruled over death.

However, Ares was determined to see Hades fall, and there was only one other with the gods-blood who possessed power over the veil.

Damon had never loved nor hated his father, but he could see the benefits of the request.

With Hades gone, he would have the throne; the Underworld.

With his father dead, Damon could make changes that were desperately needed in the realm, and would control all who resided within it.

Killing Hades had been frowned upon by many, at first.

 _Sacrilege_ , Elena had called it, but in the end all complaints had fallen silent.

Because unlike Hades, Damon believed in exceptions to balance.

He believed in contracts and bargaining in favor of each party being satisfied.

He ruled the Underworld differently than his father, and when that became clear, he had been left to his demise without question.

It was better this way, really.

The trading of souls instead of hoarding them.

Truly punishing the evildoers in ways they deserved.

Allowing his mother to enjoy the months she was forced to spend below, instead of dreading them.

And he even had the god of war in his debt.

All benefits reaped from the demise of a man that no one even missed.

* * *

Damon removed his wet clothes and drew on black robes, draping himself as he portaled away from the river and entered his throne room.

The blood Elena had left behind after her tirade had been cleaned away from the black stone, and his newly restored guard had been punished for their incompetence.

Not that they would have actually stood a chance against her sword.

Ares daughter was no stranger to killing, and he had to admit that it was one of the many things that fascinated him about her.

He smiled as he motioned to a servant awaiting along the wall of the room, commanding to have a quill and parchment brought to him.

He was obeyed immediately, and by the time he had gone to his liquor cart to make himself a drink, the servant had returned with his request.

Damon wrote out his letter quickly, signing it in his own blood and creasing the seal, before handing it to the servant once more, "Give this to the raven. I want it delivered today."

The servant nodded, bowing his head lowly as he took what was offered.

Damon took another deep drink as the man disappeared to do as he was ordered, but as the servant left, a member of the guard entered.

"My lord," he kneeled in kind and Damon gave a nod, "What is it?"

"The goddess who killed your men. She's returned. And she requests to see you."

"Requests," Damon smirked to himself. _There's a first._

"Allow her in."

The guard appeared nervous, but nodded anyway.

* * *

Elena was surprised when the soldier she had encountered returned and demanded that she follow him.

She'd half expected Damon to refuse her entry, though of course they both knew she could get in on her own if she truly wanted.

Taking a different route than the one she had cut for herself the last time, Elena and the guard appeared at the doors to Damon's altar room much faster.

It was guarded well, a few demonoid creatures with burned skin and ragged wings that reminded her of harpies blocked their path.

Next to them were Damon's hellhounds, large dogs with rotted patches of flesh that revealed bones and blood.

Unlike his favorite pet, these only had one head a piece, but she knew from the hungry glare of their eyes that one mouth full of teeth would be enough to cause considerate damage.

And from the sounds of the nasty growls beyond the door, the ones staring them down now were not the only ones Damon possessed.

The guard with her spoke something to the demonic creatures with a low voice, in the language of the dead.

They hissed, their giant wings twitching and expanding dangerously, but they moved out of the way.

Elena fought the urge to wrap her fingers around the daggers on her thighs as she walked past them.

* * *

Other than the extra security, the room beyond was the same as before.

The servants and some other guard members stood stiffly along the walls, their eyes on the floor.

Damon, however, was seated on his throne, baring down at her, with a hound on either side of him.

The vision wasn't an unattractive one, as she admired the way his skin soaked in the color of the hellfire, which was reflected back to her through those piercing blue eyes.

"Elena," he spoke in that sinful voice, "I wasn't expecting you back so soon. It was kind of you to ring the doorbell this time."

A smile cracked her lips at his teasing.

Of all that resided in the god realms, Damon was one of the few who knew better than to underestimate her.

"I considered the fact that I was asking a favor of you," she told him, walking past the guard to the base of his steps, "And that I should behave if I wished for you to follow through."

Damon stood, smiling as he started down the stairs toward her, "Infallible logic, my sweet, though I wasn't sure it was still a deal you wanted, seeing as when you left, it was as if hellfire was on your heels."

"Because you rile me," she accused him, "And you do it purposefully. That tends to anger me."

"Only because you aren't used to being challenged," he pointed out.

"Few are stupid enough to try," she reasoned with another grin, "But then again, brilliance was never your strong suit."

Damon arched a brow, "So you knock now, but still insult me. How badly were you wanting my assistance?"

Elena took a step closer to him while rolling her eyes, "You'll help me either way, and we both know it. I was just hoping to keep things civil with the niceties."

"Civil," he let the word roll off of his tongue as though it were foreign to him.

His hand lifted and warm fingers brushed against the column of her throat in a gentle stroke.

"What would you know of _civil,_ daughter of war?" his voice had lowered, become more intimate, "You, who would have me take a life of your own blood to sedate a selfish desire for a human."

Elena leaned into the palm that came to rest against the side of her neck, staring up at their owner through thick lashes, "Maybe he is a well endowed human."

Damon circled her now, his hand moving with him until he stood behind her and his fingers locked around her throat, pulling her back against his body.

"You would risk angering your mother, Zeus, and all of Olympus for this _endowment_?" Her breath caught as his head dipped close to her ear and whispered, "No cock is _that_ good, my sweet."

There was an edge to his words and with effort, she was able to get a sense of the emotions radiating from his body.

She turned in his arms with a slow smile, "Jealous, Damon?"

"No," he answered calmly, eyes boring into hers, "Because I know that it is not him you truly want."

"I wasn't aware that mind reading was a power you now possessed," she shot, taking a step away from him, needing air.

Damon chuckled, "I don't have to read your mind. I _know_ you."

"You know _nothing_."

He dropped her gaze then, his eyes shooting around the room, and for the first time, Elena remembered that they were not alone.

Not that anyone who resided within the Underworld would challenge their King by leaking information overheard, but still...the magnitude of what they were discussing probably should not be overheard by anyone. Even servants.

"We need to discuss our arrangement," she told him, crossing her arms, "But not here. Somewhere private to go over the terms."

With another quick look around he nodded, then walked over and spoke something to his guard that she did not quite catch.

But that did not matter, for when Damon turned around, his hand locked around her arm and the room they were standing in disappeared into a cloud of smoke.

* * *

Damon released his hold on Elena once they were in his chambers.

She took a moment to steady herself, then turned around, gaining a sense of her barings.

She didn't seem too pleased at their location.

"You must be joking," she snapped at him, her eyes lingering on the large bed across the room, "If you think I will let you bed me just to gain your assistance, you have-."

"You asked for privacy," he interrupted her mid sentence, "No one would dare interrupt me here."

She paused, then swallowed, looking around once more.

The room was large and dark, save for the fire burning under a mantle, spreading warmth throughout the space.

His favorite weapons hung along a far wall, climbing all the way to the ceiling that disappeared into darkness.

His bed of black satin sat high on a platform, the four posts veiled by charcoal curtains.

There were hand carved desks, expensive rugs, detailed dressers and other mortal comforts, but he did not like clutter.

The space here was his true domain, and he trusted few to enter.

However, he planned on making this deal work, and the room was one guaranteed place where no eyes would be upon them.

"Your request," Damon continued, when it seemed Elena had nothing more to yell at him for, "You want me to help you kill your sister. So that you can have her mortal?"

He had recaptured her attention now, "Yes."

"Liar," he hissed.

Elena's eyes flared at the word, "Excuse me."

Now that they were alone, he could call her out on the inconsistencies of the story she had spun him.

"You truly expect me to believe that you would kill a demi-god for a mortal. A lesser species, whom you despise?"

She swallowed thickly, "I told you...I favor-"

"The only thing you favor about humans is their barbaric nature," he bared his teeth, "So what is this really about?"

She didn't answer, but her chin lifted defiantly.

Damon sighed, "If you will not tell me, I will not help you. And we are finished here."

When she again remained silent, he turned for the arched doorway.

She darted after him, her smaller fingers wrapping tightly around his arm, "Wait."

With a victorious grin, he shifted back to her, "Yes?"

"You...you're right," she consented with an annoyed huff and he chuckled, "Shocker."

That earned him a punch in the arm and he pretended that it did not hurt.

"Do not mock me," she said threateningly.

Damon merely crooked his head with expectation and she sighed, "Alright. Alright. The truth is that this mortal is just a means to an end."

"What end?" he pressed.

He could see her deliberation, the hesitation in her eyes, but she spoke anyway, "I hate her, Damon. I swear it upon the gods, I do."

"Your sister?" he blinked, surprised, "She's a halfling you hardly know."

Elena shook her head, "And she has everything."

"Elena-"

"No," she bellowed, "I am of the gods-blood! I am the daughter of Ares, his wars are in my very making! And my mother, loved and revered by all...I wear her powers upon my skin! Yet, _I_ am outcasted?! A bastard among the gods; a shame of Olympus!"

Elena's bottom lip trembled as she bit down it, "Yet this half-breed...she is Aphrodite mortalized. She is quiet and sweet and lovely and _spoiled_. She has no idea the truth of her DNA. My mother left her with the mortals, to be raised among them, and among them she found a perfect home, a real life fairytale! She is loved and accepted and does not have gods move from her path with downcast eyes because she is a product of a love that should never have existed!"

Damon frowned as Elena blinked furiously, and he had the feeling she was fighting away tears of frustration.

Her words were true, he knew.

None of the gods above were known for their faithfulness, but Aphrodite's affair with Ares was renowned.

She had loved him before her marriage to Hephaestus, had loved him after, and had even brought him into her wedding bed, adding insult to injury.

Elena's existence was a threat of humiliation.

She was a pariah among the gods; the living proof of her parents sin.

He knew that the weight of it bore down on her, constantly driving her to prove herself, but this was the first time he'd seen her jealousy so magnified.

"You are sure you want her dead?" he confirmed, eyes trained on her expression.

Elena nodded stiffly, staring at her boots now, "Every breath she takes offends me."

Damon moved closer, gripping her chin between his finger and thumb and forced her head up.

"Look at me," he commanded.

Slowly, she did as she was told, her dark eyes burning as the light from the fire reflected from them.

"I understand what you want. Why you want it," he promised, "But if your mother cares for this spawn, this could bring wrath."

"I can handle it," she stated coldly, knocking his hand away, "The question is, can you?"

"I can do what you ask," he assured her softly, "As long as you are certain it is what you want."

"I am."

He nodded, and stepped away, motioning for her to follow him across the room.

She did so and he led her to his desk, where the contract he'd drawn for them sat waiting.

Elena picked it up, her eyes raking over it before shooting to his face, "What is this going to cost me, Damon?"

"Nothing. The soul of Aphrodite's daughter will be payment."

She gave him a hard look, "I'm not naive enough to believe that you'd require nothing from me."

He'd expected that.

"There is nothing I require of you now," he told her, "But one day, there will be. I do this for you, and I'll expect you to fulfill a blood debt to me. Is that fair enough?"

"A life for a life?" she arched a brow and he smiled, "Something like that. Do we have a deal?"

With a small nod, she reached to her side and pulled a dagger from its sheath.

She hardly flinched as she drew it across her palm and allowed the blood to drip onto the parchment.

The paper glowed as it drank in the ichor, sealing their agreement.

He took it from her and placed it back on the desk as she put away her dagger.

* * *

"So that's it?"

He smiled, "I will call upon you when it is time."

She studied him, "How will it happen?"

Unable to resist, Damon reached over and brushed her hair back behind her ear, letting his thumb stroke her cheek, "I am not about _how_ , Elena. I am simply _when_."

Then he let his hand drop down to hers, grasping her wrist in his fingers and bringing her palm up for inspection.

The cut was still bleeding, the red running across her skin.

He pressed his lips to the wound, and felt Elena's sharp inhale.

His tongue snaked out, running the length of her hand and the taste of her blood drew a growl from somewhere deep in his chest, and his eyes closed.

"You should leave, my love," the words were forced as he opened a portal on the wall closest to them, "Before I change my mind about those terms."

He heard her breath catch, then felt a movement.

When he opened his eyes again, she was gone.

* * *

 **Ya'll know the drill :)**


	3. Chapter 3

**You guys are awesome! Thank you so much for all the responses!**

 **New chapter for you with some new characters introduced :)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

The dominion of Apollo in the mortal realm had always reminded Elena of a forming star.

Bright and golden as the sunlight whispering through the treetops of the forest, with the musical lilt of harps playing in the distance; a song that boasts of rolling hills and possibilities.

There was a warmth in the air that seemed untouched by the changing seasons, and nymphs danced along the twinkling river, the lazy waves splashing around their bare feet.

Elena herself found the brightness too harsh, and wanted more than anything to return to the training room in her father's mansion, but she had made a promise.

"You aren't having fun," a bright voice spoke from beside her, and Elena glanced over at her friend.

Caroline looked much like her father; the sun personified, and the brilliance of her smile rivaled the star itself, "You said you wanted to get away and enjoy yourself."

Elena sighed, "Enjoying myself doesn't include sunbathing with the sprites. This, I did for you."

The group of giggling nymphs splashed at each other again, and Caroline straightened, "Then what did you want to do?"

They had decided early in the morning that getting away from Olympus and the other gods would be a nice refresher, and Elena did enjoy the other girl's company on occasion.

Unlike most of the mountain, there was no judgement in her eyes.

So she had went along with Caroline's request to bathe by the rivers of Apollo's realm.

"Nothing," Elena brushed off the question, and forced herself to relax.

She layed back down on the blankets they had brought, and tried to let the sounds of the river wash away the tension she felt in her body.

"You're in a mood," her friend accused, "Why are you in a mood? And don't tell me it's because of the sun exposure."

Elena began to answer, but paused.

She knew she could not tell her the truth about her intentions, despite the fact that she would love to discuss her woes with a trusted friend.

This secret was too big to risk, and she would not make the blonde an accomplice.

"There were rumors," Caroline continued, her lyrical voice dropping, "That you visited the Underworld."

Elena smirk, "Rumors? Among Olympians? You must be joking!"

The sarcasm was weak, even to her own ears, and she felt Caroline's sigh more than she heard it.

"Is it true?"

She shrugged, but that was answer enough.

"Elena," her friend chided, "We spoke of this after the Harvest Festival to the Mother. Damon rules Hades, now. He is too dangerous for you to-"

"You believe he would harm me?" Elena challenged with a smile, "Really?"

"He is Lord of the Dead," Caroline insisted, "Not the boy we spend summers with. Just because he managed to take advantage of you for-"

Elena sat up on her elbows and stared at her friend, "Caroline. Stop."

The blonde haired goddess fell silent, and crooked her head, waiting.

"He loves me," Elena told her, "He loved me when we were children, he loved me the night of Hera's Festival, and he loves me now. However, while I enjoy him; yes, I enjoy him, I'll admit that; I am not stupid enough to love him in return."

Caroline frowned, "Why visit him, then? Why go to the realm of the dead? He may misinterpret your intentions."

Elena laughed at that, moving to cross her legs now, allowing her robes to drape around her, "Damon understands my intentions, trust me."

Caroline's expression was standoffish now, "If you say so. But I've heard whispers that it is only a matter of time before he takes you as his own. Forces you to reside in the Underworld as his father did to his mother."

Elena rolled her eyes, "Olympians like to talk. Besides, could you really imagine Damon as anyone's husband? Please?!"

The thought was almost comical!

"I know," the blonde sighed, "But if-"

"I will avoid eating any fruit grown in his domain, alright?" Elena snapped, growing weary of the conversation, and pulling herself to her feet, "But nonetheless, I should probably get going. I'm due for training soon."

Caroline arched a brow, "Again?"

"War does not rest," Elena quoted, "Nor shall I."

Her friend waved her off as she sank back onto the blankets, "Fine. Have fun learning how to kill things. I'll be here, enjoying a peaceful day while having my every whim catered to by my father's worshipers."

Elena laughed, "Enjoy yourself, Caroline. I'll visit again soon."

"Visit Athena," Caroline teased, "You could use some impending wisdom."

Fighting the urge to stick out her tongue like a child, Elena gathered her things and set off for her father's domain.

* * *

Thrace was once Ares home in the mortal realm, Damon recalled.

Over the years though, the Old Countries changed, split and formed into new borders.

Bulgaria was the current name of the war god's abode, and when he was not on Olympus, one was sure to find him there, in the mansion that appeared more battleworn than the god himself.

Having aligned everything else to his plan, Damon made this his final stop, and had gotten lucky to discover that Ares was indeed home.

The god himself, however, was less than pleased with the company; even more so, with the request Damon had brought before him.

"She is my daughter. Mine blood," Ares said viciously, gripping a piece of parchment in his hand; a contract.

Damon lounged on the chase in the great room that opened to the foyer, unbothered by the threatening glare of his opponent, "I am well aware of that. It is, after all, the reason I am here, as stated in my letter."

Ares exhaled deeply, his large body shifting with the motion.

"She is a warrior. Not a ruler."

Damon's expression remained neutral, "And that will be _my_ concern, will it not?"

Ares shook his head, and held up the contract, "This was _not_ the deal I made, son of Hades!"

Damon stood then, rising to his full height and meeting the god with his own heated response, "The deal you made requires the payment of a blood debt. Elena is your blood. This is your debt."

Ares glared at him, and his eyes shifted back to the paper.

He staggered into a chair against the wall and ran a hand slowly down his face.

Then he sighed, "Her mother will not like this."

" _Elena_ will not like this," Damon noted, with a short, quiet laugh, "But she will be Queen. Protected by my realm. Which is more of a future than you could hope for her on Olympus, that I promise you."

When Ares hesitated to answer, Damon pressed, "I have told you what I intend. I will have her either way. It is up to you to decide if that will be as a wife or a servant."

"Quite a choice," he spat with disdain.

Damon smirked, "No choice at all. You _owe_ me, Ares."

They held each others gazes for a long moment, until finally, the older god nodded, "If this is what you demand...I will pay my debt."

"Glad we could come to an agreement," Damon said, taking the contract back from him.

"And for insurance purposes," he added, as he placed the thing in his jacket pocket, "Should you choose to go back on your deal, know I will raise every soul you have ever sent to the Underworld and march them to your doorstep with their vengeance. You may be good, god of war, but are you _that_ good?"

Ares growled at the threat, "My blood is my word. And you have both."

"Good. I will hold you to that."

* * *

"Damon?"

Elena frowned as both her father and the ruler of the Underworld turned at the sound of her voice.

Her father seemed pissed, but Damon was smiling.

He looked good in mortal attire, she hated to admit.

Dark jeans hugging his thighs, a shirt that showed the edges of his collarbones, and a leather jacket that made her want to do bad things to him.

"I was unaware we were expecting visitors," she asserted herself instead, crossing the space between them to stand at her father's side.

"Damon was just leaving," Ares insisted, seeking the dark god's gaze, but Damon's eyes were on hers.

"Actually I wanted to speak with you," he smiled crookedly, before finally shooting Ares a portion of his attention, "Alone, if you don't mind."

Her father's stare was cold, and Elena grew curious as to what had transpired between them.

However, before she could ask, his arm came around her shoulder, and he brought her against his chest in an uncharacteristic embrace.

"Be of care, child," he warned her, then placed a chaste kiss on her forehead.

With that, he was gone, storming from the room with enough force she wondered if the stone flooring wasn't about to crack.

"He's angry."

Damon moved closer to her now, "He will find solace with some whore and be good as new within the hour."

Elena rolled her eyes, "Was there actually a purpose to your visit here, or did you just stop by to make crude comments?"

He was smiling again, as if he enjoyed her witty retaliations.

"I had my reasons, among which were to find you...it's time, my sweet."

A chill seized her body at those words, and her breathing spiked, "Time...you mean-"

"To fulfill our arrangement," he said as nonchalauntly as one would while discussing the weather, "I trust you are prepared?"

"I…"

"You did make it so painfully clear that you desired this mortal, after all," he taunted, "I'd hate to see you left unsatisfied for longer than necessary."

The look she gave him was dirty, and when he laughed, she pushed him backwards, "I'm prepared, you arrogant bastard."

"Oh, _I'm_ the bastard, am I?" he teased further, and this time her hand flickered to the sword on her back, "Give me a reason, Damon. I dare you."

He sighed, "Relax. You'll have plenty a chance to use that thing later...but now, we have business to attend to."

She bared her teeth with annoyance, not entirely ready to fold into his demand.

Damon held himself with such surety...but she knew he was not as untouchable as he so claimed.

And she could rile him just as well as he could her.

"Give me a moment to change," she told him, placating with a calmness she did not feel, "I'll meet you back here."

She did not wait for his response.

Instead she followed the path her father had taken, toward the grand stairway, and up to her chambers.

Servants in the room hurried forward, offering to help her dress, but Elena waved them off.

She knew what she was after, and once she found it, it took her only a moment to slip the fabric into place.

However, to extend her fun, she also slid on the long dark jacket she often used for stealth attacks in the dark.

It hugged her skin closely, but covered everything important.

Once the straps were donned, she adjusted the daggers on her thighs, the lone weapons she had decided to bring with her, knowing that anything else would attract too much attention.

But it would be all she would need, and by the end of the night, she would have what she wanted.

* * *

Damon waited with barely concealed impatience for Elena to return.

And when she did, he had to force his expression to remain complacent.

But by the gods, did she look good.

No. Good was not adequate enough to encompass her beauty.

Elena's body was as much a weapon as her sword, and the goddess knew it.

As she entered the room, his eyes roamed over her form, or what was shown to him of it.

Her feet were bare, and those legs went on for days.

There was fabric brushing along her calves, traditional Olympian robes, and the slits disappeared beneath the tethered ends of her skin tight jacket.

It showed flashes of naked thigh; bits of flesh that he would kill to have his mouth against.

Her hair fell freely in waves around her shoulders and down her back, and he tried not to let memories of sinking his face in those delicious chocolate locks rob him of breath and sound mind.

"Dressed to impress," he commented, his voice remaining flat despite the warpath she drove through his blood.

"You've seen nothing yet," she smiled, not stopping until she was directly in front of him, "Are you ready?"

He nodded and reached for her hand, which she took without hesitation, let him lead her from the mansion.

* * *

Outside, the courtyard overlooked a path to the Black Sea, a short wall blocking entrance to the shore, and Damon stopped there, preparing to open a portal against the stone.

However, Elena tightened her grip on his palm before he could, "Wait. Please."

The _please_ caught him more off guard than her request had, and he halted to look down at her.

"What?"

"I do not want to go straight to my sister."

"Elena," he sighed, "This is not a game. This is-"

"I know," she insisted, her dark eyes seeming bigger than usual as she turned to face him completely, "But I want her to suffer first. I want to visit her mortal. And I want her to see it."

Confliction ran across his heart.

A desire to give her what she wanted, and the urge to smite her then and there for even the suggestion of letting another touch her.

He barely stopped the growl from leaving his throat, and Elena smiled as if she knew how affected he was.

Somehow, she moved even closer to him, her leg brushing against his, their chests merely centimeters apart.

And those fucking eyes.

"Please," she murmured, a velvet whisper, as he lost himself in her gaze.

Amber and cinnamon, and earth, and sun all poured out into a fiery desire that burned through his body a thousand times hotter than hellfire.

Her arms lifted, wrapping around his neck slowly, her words a purring in his ear, "This is what will satisfy me."

The commands in his head screamed at him, urging him to give her everything she wanted, offer her the world, his throne, his very life.

Anything at all to keep that smile gracing her lips!

Anything, for the smallest chance that she might lean in and let him have a taste…

* * *

Elena cried out when Damon drove them forward, slamming her back against the stone wall.

It didn't hurt; not really, but it had caught her by surprise.

" _Stop_ that," he growled angrily, his hand grasping her jawline as his mouth lowered so close to her own that she could taste his words, "You do _not_ use those powers of yours on me, my love. I am not your mortal. I am not your plaything. And you will not like what comes back at you."

He released her then, and she slumped back against the stone as he made a portal next to her, avoiding her gaze.

Elena rubbed her skin, reddened from his hands, and smiled.

How wrong he was.

She just so happened to like this very much.

* * *

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	4. Chapter 4

**I typically get more writing done on weekends, so don't be surprised if it slows down after tomorrow lol.  
But nonetheless, here is chapter 4!  
**

 **I've loved reading all your reviews/responses, and can't wait to see what you think of this one!**

* * *

The portal closed behind them, as Damon and Elena stepped out onto a quiet street.

The sun had sunk down below the skyline, and the world was a blue haze of the night to come.

Elena could feel the thrumming of her heartbeat, hammering against her chest as if the thing were desperate to escape it's confines.

"This is the place?" Damon asked her, with a gruffness to his voice that had been lacking before.

She nodded, and motioned to the small house at the end of the drive, "He lives here...this is where she visits him."

"Then we make this quick," he told her, something like annoyance in his tone, and Elena couldn't help but smile to herself.

Damon could play nonchalant all he wanted, but he could not completely control his body's response to the situation, and the opportunity to torture him a little was just too good to pass up.

"So you have a plan?" he verified, and she nodded, "I seduce the male. He sends the message to lure my sister here-"

"Then we take care of her and you are free to have your prize," he finished, still with the attitude.

Elena considered his words, then grinned as an idea struck her.

"On second thought," she turned to face him, "Perhaps we don't need to do the killing at all."

Damon stared at her, "You're changing your mind?"

She shook her head, "No. But I know the influence I can possess over mortal men. I can make them love me. Make them do anything for me."

His brow shot up in surprise, "You are going to make the human kill her."

Elena smiled, "How deliciously tragic would that be?"

When Damon's gaze merely scorched over her, she smirked and reached for his hand, "Come on. This will be fun."

"I beginning to wonder if I should be offended by how much enjoyment you are finding in this," he muttered, but allowed her to drag him forward, to the house.

She laughed, "Oh love, the enjoyment hasn't even started yet!"

And with that, she skirted up the steps to knock on the large wooden door.

* * *

Damon grit his teeth at the sound of movement inside the house.

A part of him had been hoping that any involvement with the human could be skipped altogether, but it seemed that Elena was determined to have her way.

The door was pulled aside to reveal the object of her desire, and Damon arched a brow as he gave the mortal a once over.

The young male was nothing spectacular; light skin, dark blond hair, and a somewhat handsome face.

Elena had had thousands of suitors more threatening than this.

"This is him?" he scoffed, earning a short glare from the brunette beauty.

"...Can I help you?" the man blinked, and before Damon could goad Elena further for his unremarkableness, she had moved, right up to the guy's body, and captured his attention completely.

"You're going to let us in," she purred in a voice that was sheer seduction, and the mortal stared at her, unblinking.

"I'm...going to let you in."

Elena smiled, and Damon was glad that half of her face was concealed from him.

He knew exactly what her powers felt like at full force and had no interest in walking down that path tonight.

They followed the human into the house, and Damon closed the door behind him.

When he turned to join Elena in the living room, he found her already wrapped around the man again, staring at him like he was a trophy she'd won.

"This is Matthew," she told him airly, stroking the human's hair, "Handsome, isn't he?"

Matthew appeared to be in a trance-like state, his eyes following Elena as she sauntered around him, admiring the view.

Damon rolled his shoulders and neck, impatient, "We don't have all night, my sweet."

Elena merely shot him a look, before going back to her admiring.

Seeing her touch the male so possessively unleashed some kind of fury in Damon's chest, and before he even knew why he was moving, he had strode over to the pair and gripped the male's arm.

"What are you doing?" Elena demanded, as he pulled the guy from the room.

"Speeding things along," he snapped, barging through the hall until he found a door that opened to a small bedroom.

"Here."

He dumped the human, who still appeared dazed, onto the bed and stepped aside for Elena to see, "He's all yours to take advantage of. Now make it quick."

She gave him another dirty look, "You are no fun, you know that?"

Unbothered by her words, he sank into a chair that occupied the far corner of the room.

Elena rolled her eyes at him, but proceeded with her agenda, whispering in Matthew's ear to keep him entranced.

As she did this, her hands roamed over his clothing, until she pulled something from his pocket.

A phone.

She tossed it to Damon.

"Her name is Amara," her teeth flashed with the words, "Send the text."

* * *

Elena watched to be sure that Damon did as she'd asked, before returning her attention back to the human on the bed.

He was handsome, sure, but she found more pleasure in imagining the look on her dear sister's face when she walked in to see him bedding another...before he killed her.

The spoiled girl deserved to know pain before she died.

Elena recalled watching the two of them together, acting all love sick and dazed.

It was a fitting retribution, to break Amara's heart before her lover literally cut it out.

A set plan of battle.

A sure victory.

Excitement speared through her body, heating in her very soul as she straightened herself.

Matthew's gaze was upon her, had been from her first words to him, and would be until she released him from her entrancement.

Unlike gods, mere mortals were easy prey when it came to matters of seduction.

She flickered her stare back to Damon, who seemed bored as he observed the wall with increasing interest.

With a smirk, she began to undo her coat.

* * *

She felt the moment Damon's eyes landed on her once more, for the entire temperature of the room changed as a blast of heat left his body.

Not that she blamed him; the dress was one of her best.

Completely opened in the back, the thin cloth fabric tied around her neck, barely covering her breast and hung loosely around her waist.

All she had to do was slide out the tie that pinned it together behind her neck and…

The material pooled around her feet as it slid down her body, and she purposely avoided Damon's gaze.

Instead, she slowly crawled up onto the bed, just enjoying the fact that the god who wanted her so badly was a mere feet away, unable to do a damn thing about his desires.

Playing up the theatrics, Elena straddled her human and leaned down until her lips brushed over his.

"You're going to undress for me," she told him, then rolled over so he could do so.

The response was instantaneous, the mortal doing exactly as she commanded.

She giggled to herself, before finally allowing a glance in Damon's direction.

The sight caught her breath in her throat.

His eyes were murder.

So black that the blue was almost nonexistent, and the heat in his stare was so intent, it ran her wet between her thighs.

His knuckles were white where they gripped the arms of the chair he sat in, and she wondered how much self control he was exerting not to be on top of her right now...inside of her.

Memories of their drunken, fumbling night together poured to the front of her mind, and she shivered as she recalled how talented that tongue of his could be.

The two of them had always teased, taunted, and danced around each other...but that night...it was the closest they'd ever come to that point of no return.

The same aching need she had felt for the god that night returned now, more urgent than before.

But Damon was glued to his chair, and she would not go to him.

It was the never ending game between them.

They each drove the other to the brink, but neither one would take the final step off of the ledge.

It would change everything, and they knew it.

They avoided it.

Except tonight was going to change everything anyway, wasn't it?

Something like this, the contract they had formed, it would bond them to each other tangibly.

So what was the point in denying all her wants?

* * *

The human had undressed.

He was pressed against her back now, his lips trailing to her neck, but her eyes remained on Damon, who merely watched them.

By the gods, she could feel his stare in her very soul.

Furthering both of her agendas for the night, she broke their connection and turned toward the human.

To say he was eager would be an understatement, but a simple halt of her finger froze him.

"You're going to do something for me," she murmured to him, and slipped a hand down the the shealth on her thigh, "You are going to use this on Amara, when she enters this room."

Unsnapping both the sheath and the dagger, she placed them into the human's hand.

"Can you do that for me?"

"I will do it for you," he breathed, eyes on her lips, and she smiled.

"Good. That makes me very happy."

His expression lit up at the compliment, and she rewarded him with a chaste kiss.

It was nice, in that desperate human way, and she did rather enjoy herself for a moment.

At least, until Damon made his presence known once more.

"I think it is safe to say you've convinced him," he growled through sharpened teeth, clearly unhappy with what he was witnessing.

Elena moved so that she could look at him, while the mortal buried his face into her neck from behind.

"I happen to like having minions I can control," she told him, and he twitched his head at her comment.

"Don't tell me you've never taken advantage of any of those desperate souls in the Underworld…"

"I've never let them take advantage of me," he spat, accusingly.

Elena pushed the human aside, sitting up.

"I am too close to having what I want for you to ruin this for me, Damon. So if you are going to sulk, you can get out. Or…," a smile broke across her lips at his angered expression, "You can relax a little and join us...join me."

* * *

There was a moment's hesitation.

A single moment where he seemed to calculate her words, to judge whether or not she meant them.

But she did; she knew that without a doubt.

And when that truth registered on Damon's face, he moved; faster than she had ever seen from mortal, god, or creature alike.

His body collided with hers, taking her down to the bed and when his mouth was crushed against her own, the moan she released could have shaken the very foundation of the house.

 _This_.

This is what she had craved.

She burned alive under his touch, the scorching heat of him seeping through her skin as she felt him all over her body.

He pressed into every naked curve, kissing her with a passion that drove all sane thought from her brain.

His mouth...gods, his mouth...it was all that she remembered and more.

She moaned around his tongue, before sinking her teeth into his lip, only to have him return the favor hard enough that she tastes blood.

He doesn't kiss her like he wants to. He never has.

He kisses her as if she is the air in his lungs and the ichor in his veins.

As if he would die if they were ever parted, and that he would prefer that death to ever stopping.

His touch was a reverent prayer against her, each glide of his fingers over her skin a hymnal of worship to her body, and she lost herself in his songs.

Her nails ripped at his jacket, tearing the fabric away; offended that it would dare withhold him from her.

His shirt was torn in two, neither of them caring as they slip it from his shoulders and her hands come against the warmth of his bare skin.

She held him tightly, desperately, afraid of what might happen if she were to let him go.

Then she's kissing him until she can't breath and he's gasping into her mouth, and the room spins and fades until the only thing she knows for sure is how perfectly the curve of hip fits inside his palm.

* * *

Then the haze is ripped away by the single mistake of a mortal man.

Elena watched it all happen as if in slow motion.

Matthew reached down to her, needing her attention as surely as she needed Damon's.

But the god of the Underworld is not known for his mercy.

The moment the mortal touched her, Damon's hand wrapped around his throat.

The blue of his eyes smoldered into red flames and his mouth pressed against the human's.

Elena had seen this only once before, but had heard rumor of it a thousand times.

The power of the devil. A kiss of death.

The flames in Damon's eyes engorged until his entire face glowed red and fire exploded from between his lips, down Matthew's throat.

He was dead before he could even scream, and Damon tossed the lifeless body away.

* * *

Elena shot off of the bed, stumbling over her feet.

"What have you done?!"

Damon didn't seem to be anymore aware of his actions than she had been, "What?"

"The plan!" she snapped, "You ruined it!"

Matthew was dead, and with him, her chance at revenge.

She eyed the corpse, ready to demand that Damon resurrect him, but realized it would be of no use.

The kiss of death burned away the soul.

"Damn it!" she hissed, gathering her gown from the floor and sliding it back into place.

Of course this would happen!

She let herself be distracted for one moment, and-

"Matthew?"

* * *

Elena froze at the sound of the front door opening.

Her eyes shot to Damon in a panic.

This wasn't the plan…

He placed a finger over his lips and stood from the bed.

Then he drew her into his arms and pulled her to the far wall.

"Do not let go of me," he breathed against her ear, and Elena felt the room shift.

Haze over to something dark.

Her skin grew cold and the world took on a greyish tint…

"Damon-"

"This is the realm of death," he explained to her, "The other side of the veil."

Elena felt the panic rise once more, her eyes widening.

Damon quickly reassured her, "You still live and you will for as long I am with you. But we are undetectable here."

Elena shook her head, glancing around the dark space as the bedroom door opened and her sister was revealed, "No...we have to go back. I have to finish this!"

"Look," Damon hissed, and she did.

As promise, Amara had not seen them, but she did find her beloved's body, sprawled naked on the floor, scorched holes where his eyes and mouth used to be.

Her blood curdling scream erected goosebumps on Elena's skin, and despite the thwarted events, she found her lips curving at the sight.

"Is this not what you wanted?" Damon's lips brushed against her as he spoke, "Your sister punished?"

Elena nodded and he smiled at her approval, "You see, there are things worse than death, my sweet...this will kill her heart."

Watching the way the halfling was screaming and falling apart, Elena was inclined to agree, but still…

"I admit, this is satisfying...but I need her dead, Damon. Gone."

When he did not respond, she worried that he disagreed, but then he moved from behind her, crossing the room slowly, slithering up to her sister's side.

Elena watched the interaction with a held breath.

"This is the worst day of your life," Damon whispered into the demi-god's ear, "All of your happiness ends here."

Amara's sobs deepened, as if she had heard his words.

Damon reached out a hand and placed it upon her shoulder, "He was everything to you."

"Please, no," Amara begged to the ceiling, "He was everything to me!"

"You can't live without him," Damon whispered hauntingly.

Amara's shoulders shook in despair, "I can't live without him."

"But you can join him," Damon prompted, urging her toward the dagger that laid unused upon the ground.

Elena watched as Amara blinked a few times, and looked over at the blade.

Instead of confusion about why her love was dead, or why there was a knife on the floor beside him, there was only resolve.

"We will be together shortly," Amara promised, reaching for the blade.

Elena did not even flinch as her sister angled the thing, and drove in deeply into her heart, but she did exhale, finally, when the half-breed's lifeless body fell motionless on top of her dead mortal.

Frozen by the scene, Elena's eyes did not leave the pair until Damon stood before her.

"Let's go," he commanded, "It is finished."

With a stiff nod and a final glance at the dead, Elena let him lead her away.

* * *

Damon did not let go of her hand until they were safe in his domain, the Styx running alongside them as they crossed the entrance to the Underworld.

There, at the gate, towering over them, was a giant three headed beast of a hound.

Elena smiled and let go of his hand, dashing over to the thing.

Half amused, Damon watched her reach out a hand to his pet, and with a sniff, the giant monster relaxed, all three heads lowering for her to stroke.

Elena giggled as she scratched behind Cerberus's ears, her small hands disappearing in the mass of fur.

"You were right," he admitted, walking over to her, and offering a pat of his own to the beast, "He loves you."

Elena smiled, "Of course he does."

With a final pet goodbye, she reached back for Damon's hand and they crossed through the gate.

It wasn't until they had reached his altar room that she spoke again, needing to get something off her chest, "You know, you were right too. Watching Amara mourn the human was much more satisfying than dangling him in front of her."

Damon chuckled, "I'm glad you are pleased."

"I am," she admitted, "But are you?"

He stared at her questioningly.

"You were expecting my sister's soul as payment," she reminded him, "But...she killed herself. Her soul goes to the Forest of Suicides, where she will wander until she becomes a part of it. That puts her outside of your reach."

He smirked at her explanation, "Tell me, have you studied all the locations of my realms?"

Elena pursed her lips, "Just what I was required to. But I'm right, aren't I? You drove her to end her life, but in doing so, you screwed yourself out of a soul."

Something flickered in his expression, "Have I?"

Elena blinked. Opened her mouth to answer, then shut it again to study him.

His intent was hidden behind eyes of feigned innocence.

"You can still claim her soul?"

"No," he admitted, stepping closer, "She is lost to me...however, you are not."

Elena hmphed, and glanced around the room.

They were alone.

"Don't let that kiss we shared go to your head, my lord. I still don't like you."

"You could hate me, and it wouldn't make a difference," there was a smugness to his tone that she didn't like, "A deal is a deal."

Elena rolled her eyes, "A deal? I bartered you my sister's soul. It's not my fault if-"

"Ah, ah, ah," he interrupted her, "Perhaps you need to read the fine print once more."

He lifted his hand, and like magic, the parchment was summoned to him in a puff of smoke.

Feeling a shift in the atmosphere, Elena yanked the thing from him, and read the words.

"A death paid for with the soul of Aphrodite's daughter," she recited, "As I said, it isn't my fault if Amara ended up beyond your fingertips. I delivered her."

"And yet a soul must still be paid," Damon insisted, and Elena didn't care for the gleam in his eye, "More specifically, I am owed the soul of Aphrodite's daughter, which you are...are you not?"

Her body tensed as the meaning of his words fell into place, then she was spinning on her heels.

"Don't," she commanded, "Don't play with me like this."

Damon shook his head, taking the contract back from her, "I've already told you, my sweet, this isn't a game. And according to this," he held up the paper, "Your soul is mine."

"I didn't agree to-"

"You signed it in gods-blood," he reminded her, "It's binding."

Her head shook defiantly, "The hell it is."

* * *

She began to storm off towards the door, ready to go retrieve her sword just to run it through him a good number of times.

It didn't matter if it couldn't kill him; at least it would hurt.

But before she could get three steps away, she felt Damon's hand on her waist.

She reached to her thigh for her dagger and span into him.

Her blade touched his throat as his hand punched into her chest.

Elena screamed without a sound.

There was a sharp pain, something cold and disconnecting where Damon's wrist was buried inside her...then it was gone.

Damon withdrew his hand and she sank to the ground, half expecting to be dead; but she wasn't.

She drew in an experimental breath, to make sure, then glared up loathingly at the god.

However, her anger gave way to sheer surprise when she noted what was in his hand.

Something white and writhing; liquid smoke with no true form...her soul.

"No," she gasped, hands gripping at her chest, where a hollow feeling had settled in, "What have you done?!"

Damon stared at the thing in his hands, half awed, half victorious.

"It's quite simple really," he answered her with a smile, "I have made you mine."

* * *

 **:)**

 **Just gonna go ahead and say that while I am doing my best to follow Greek Mythology, there are going to be some variations and differences.  
**

 **Some references are literary (ie, Dante's Inferno) but I am doing my best to stick to the lore and to keep it all on the same vibe :)**

 **Hope you guys enjoyed!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Alright guys, this chapter is a little shorter, but it has a lot of information so it balances out.**

 **Enjoy reading, and I'll see you at the bottom :)**

* * *

Damon was surprised that he didn't have all of the hosts of hell storming his door to find the source of the commotion that was spirling through the Underworld.

Elena...well, she had never shied away from causing a scene, and her rage was making itself clear, now that he had sent her soul away for safekeeping, and she realized he was being serious.

"BRING IT BACK! GIVE IT BACK TO ME!"

He sighed, "I told you, love, your soul is-"

"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN WHAT YOU TOLD ME," she bellowed out, "GIVE. IT. BACK!"

She tossed his liquor cart against the wall, and he merely shook his head as wine that had been fermenting for centuries spilled out of their broken bottles.

"Are you done?"

"I'm just getting started," she snarled, storming toward his throne now.

"Alright, alright," He shot forward and grabbed her before she could do too much damage, "That's enough."

"Enough?!" she screeched, "ENOUGH?! You took my soul!"

"Technically, I bought it," he reasoned, and she let out a frustrated scream, slamming her palms against his chest.

Damon stumbled, but held his ground as she glared at him, "You planned this. You didn't specify the contract for a reason."

"And you didn't read it thoroughly," he shot, "I will not take the blame for that."

Her eyes narrowed, "You WILL take the blame! Because you manipulated me! You lied and betrayed me!"

"Tid for tad," his words spat venom, drawing her up short.

Damon watched as the incredulity spread over her features, "That... _that_ is what this is about?! My rejection of an offer you gave me years ago?" she was in his face now, "You took my soul because I dared to tell you _no_?!"

"No. I took your soul to _save_ you," he growled, "To prove what I've always told you; that you don't belong on Olympus!"

"I sure as hell don't belong here!" she fired back, and his fingers locked around her arm before she could move away.

"According to your contract, you do...and according to the deal I made with your father."

"My father?" she stopped pulling away, too shocked now to try and escape his grasp, "What does Ares have to do with this?"

Damon pinned her with his stare, "He owed me a blood debt. One that I agreed to let him pay with your hand."

"My...my hand," she whispered, seeming stunned by the revelation, "As in...you can't _possibly_ mean-"

He let her put the pieces together before giving her the confirmation she seeked.

"We will be married by the week's end, my sweet," the details were already in the work, "And you will finally bare the title you were always meant to have. My _wife_. Queen of the Underworld."

* * *

His words broke the dam on her rage, and Elena lunged at him, throwing herself so hard against his body that they both toppled to the ground.

She didn't care.

Her fingers closed around the hilt of her dagger and she drew the thing, slamming it down with enough force to crack bone.

It pierced Damon's chest easily as there was no cloth to hinder her, and in a wild fury, she repeated the motion, over and over, stabbing into him with shallow thrust; needing him to hurt, to feel even a shred of what he was doing to her.

"You bastard! You fucking bastard!" she screamed, wishing more than anything the wounds she was inflicting could do more damage.

Managing to finally get his arms around her, Damon flipped them, squeezing her wrist until he could rip the dagger from her fingers.

"ENOUGH!"

His anger shook her core, rattled her body, but she was far from giving a damn if he was upset.

She glared up at him as he pinned her, ignoring the way his entire being pressed against hers.

"I hate you," she muttered coldly, "I hate you for doing this to me."

Damon's eye held her for a moment longer, then he straightened, lifting off of her, and they both stood, the dagger clattering to the stone floor.

With ragged breaths, they observed each other, and she appreciated the amount of blood that coated his chest, seeping from wounds that were already healing.

If only it were enough to pacify her.

Damon's own rage seemed to melt away when he noticed the tears pricking at the corners of her eyes and Elena blinked them back fiercely, not wanting to appear weak in front of him.

She flinched when he stepped forward, cupping her cheeks in his hands, and her eyes closed as he held her.

"You don't have to believe me," he spoke quietly now, comforting, "But in the end, this will be better for you. I promise. Olympus is too weak for you, Elena," his fingers stroked over her skin, "And now that your soul is mine, I will break apart this shallow shell they made you and lift you up as Queen. You will be feared. Respected. And in time, you will learn to love me for it."

Elena opened her eyes.

Those blue irises bore down onto her, as clear as the oceans of her home and as cold as the shards of ice that were impaling her heart.

He was wrong again; but this time, the truth brought her no joy.

She let her gaze soak in his features, until it fell to his lips; lips that just moments before had made her feel revered and worshiped.

How foolish she was, to think he cared for her; that he could truly care for anything.

He was, after all, his father's son.

This time, she met his stare with words of reckoning burning on her tongue.

"Persephone never loved Hades," she told him spitefully, ripping his hands away from her body, "And I will never love you."

* * *

Damon's jaw flexed at her words; at the indication that what he was doing could be anything like what his father had done.

But it wasn't.

This was for her, too, and eventually, she would see that.

"I could have given you as a slave to the Underworld," he reminded her, "Instead, I offer you a kingdom."

Her head shook and her lips trembled with the anger she barely had control of, "A palace you are not allowed to leave is still a prison. Or didn't your mother teach you that much?"

"You think I would force you to stay here forever?" he demanded, "A _slave_ is forced. A Queen may visit wherever she likes. You would have freedom."

"To _visit_ ," Elena straightened, "Because I would be living here. Sharing your bed, baring your children, ruling your domain, catering to my _King_. That is not freedom."

"Then what is?" he challenged, "Wasting away utop a mountain that doesn't want you? Killing anything that dares remind you that you are much Aphrodite's daughter as you are Ares? That love is as much a part of you as war? You used to know that!"

"And then I grew up!" she spat, "I realized love was an idealistic dream the day you left and broke my heart by choosing all of this," she gestured around, "Over me...so you know what, I think I'll do the same. Throw me into whatever Pit you want, Damon. Because I'd rather be the Underworld's slave than your wife."

* * *

So he did.

Gods help him, but he did.

In a state of vexation, Damon grabbed Elena by the thighs and tossed her over his shoulder.

She shouted at him and squirmed every which way to be released, but he tightened his grip and stormed out of the room and down through his caverns.

To the Sorrow Cells.

"Damon!" She shrieked, when he dropped her onto the earth flooring and left without so much as a backwards glance.

The door locked behind him, and Elena pounded against the thing, cursing him with every foul word she knew.

This wasn't what he wanted, but the disdainful arrogance in which his beloved goddess held her head wasn't going to falter until he broke her down.

If she thought she could handle belonging to this realm alone, he would let her try.

It would only be a matter of time before she changed her mind and begged him to wed her.

He should just leave her to wallow in the misery of her choice, but stopped mid-step toward the stairs leading away from the Cells.

As angry as he was with her and her damn pride, he couldn't bring himself to leave her all alone down there.

He was a monster, sure, but he wasn't a _monster_.

With a weary sigh, he sank his back against the door that led to the cells below, and found a seat on the stone step.

Eventually, the screaming and cursing stopped.

He listened harder and heard Elena's ragged breaths being drawn as she finally let go and cried into the darkness.

He flinched at the thought of her tears, trying and failing not to remember the last time he had seen them running down her cheek.

* * *

It had been the night of the Summer Solstice, the last he would spend as the Son of Spring.

Elena had held a different kind of purity then, years before bloodshed had stained her fingertips and hardened her into the goddess of death he knew she could be.

And he had loved her.

Since they were children, he had spent the part of the year above, in his mother's domain and on Mt. Olympus.

Elena was his every wish and desire from the time he had first laid eyes on her, holding her mother's hand at the Temple of Demeter during an Earth fertility celebration to prepare for the upcoming spring.

It had been easier then, to chase one another in the warming months of summer; to spend days together with the other Olympians among the rivers of Apollo, and in the forest of the Great Huntress.

Damon had stolen the first kiss from his dark haired beloved on one of those starry nights, soaked to the bone on the beach of Poseidon's Sea.

But the innocence of youth could never last, especially for a god of his power.

He recalled the moment of his first kill as clearly as if he were still living the memory.

There had been a lesser god by the name of Caerus, beautiful and winged, who drank too much wine one night and boasted of how he could have Elena as his own.

Damon, who had been too naive of his own strength in those days, had let the deity prompt him into a fit of rage that ended in Caerus' soul being sent to Hades.

The King of the Underworld had been pleased with the obvious outcome and had bargained for Damon to remain with him, in the realm of the Dead, until he could control his powers.

With tears streaming, Elena had begged him not to accept, not to leave her again.

He wasn't able to give her that, but having nothing else to lose, he had pleaded for her to come with him instead.

But they were both too proud to yield their own desire, and the morning after the Solstice found Damon on the fiery shores of the Styx, beginning his training as the Son of Hades.

* * *

Things had changed since then.

He had become a soul-eater, a killer; truly the King of the Underworld.

And Elena? She had grown as cold as the winter that kept him from her, joining her father's domain and learning at his side.

She shaped into the weapon she had always kept hidden within her bones, and the prayers she once sent to him faded with each rising sun.

In place of love, she allowed boredom to determine when her body was touched, and when Damon was finally able to visit her realm once more, she was no more the girl he had fallen for than he was the same boy he had been.

Something dark had sprouted within them, and their souls mirrored the purity they had lost.

But that night; at the Festival for the Harvest of Hera...the Mother herself could have not stopped what conspired between them.

It was punishment and longing, and a thousand words left unsaid, when their eyes met after the passing of so much time apart.

Far from forgiveness, they had lashed into one another, until drunken slurs became bruising kisses, and clenched fists gripped the skin they so long missed the feel of.

Damon had relished in the taste of his goddess against his tongue, but knew it would never be enough.

They used each other, and pretended it meant nothing, but in one single impassioned moment, their eyes had met and he knew without a doubt that every part of him still belonged to her.

And she would belong to him as well; this time, completely.

* * *

Elena trembled with a fury unike anything she had ever felt.

How dare he do this to her! How _dare_ he?!

But screaming did no use, and the Cells he had placed her in swallowed up any reaching light so that the impending darkness was all that she could make sense of.

She fought the tears that threatened to burn warpaths down her cheeks, but could not help the sobs that racked through her lungs.

Her father had sold her like coveted livestock and her mother would hardly notice her absence.

Olympus had avoided her existence for years, so she highly doubted her presence would be missed among them.

Leaving her future to nothing but the darkness of this cage.

Or the entrapment of a marriage to her captor.

The captor who had once worshiped the ground she walked on as if her footprints were encrusted in gold.

How had things changed so much between them that she had not seen this coming?

This is, after all, what Damon had always wanted, wasn't it? Her, here with him?

And her own stupidity had paved the way for his course of action.

Damn it!

She should have left well enough alone and never involved Damon in her vendetta against her halfing sister.

Or perhaps, this was her punishment for the murder she had beget.

Wearily, she sank against the bars of her imprisonment, wondering where the hell she went from here.

* * *

A noise called her attention a few moments later, and she straightened, her hand darting instinctively for the sheath at her side, only to find it empty.

Damn. Her daggers were gone.

"Elena…"

Damon's voice filled the darkness, no longer angry.

In fact, he sounded almost...sad?

She did not answer, right away, but she could feel his presence growing closer.

As it did, lights along the walls outside her cage sparked with fire, igniting in the company of it's master.

His dark form reached her confinement then, and she watched as he lifted a hand to one of the bars.

"This isn't what I wanted," he admitted quietly, as if afraid of setting her off again.

Yeah. Sure it wasn't.

"Then let me go," she challenged, "Release me from the contract."

He sighed, "Your soul was bargained for in gods-blood. It belongs here. _You_ belong here."

She moved closer to where he stood, coming into the light, "You want me here. That's not the same as belonging."

Something close to pain radiated from his eyes, and Elena fed on the emotion, wondering if he was regretful enough that she could manipulate her freedom.

"You told me once that you loved me," she reminded him, reaching out and covering his hand with hers.

"I did," he acknowledged.

Elena stared up at him with honed focus, willing him to get lost in the intensity of their connection.

"You still love me," she told him.

He didn't respond this time, but the look in his eyes were answer enough.

"You love me, Damon," she stated, more boldly now, "And you want to destroy the contract and let me go."

Her fingers dug into his hand, and she leaned as close as the bars would let her, "Now."

Damon blinked at her, and for a moment she thought that perhaps her idea had worked.

But then he shook his head.

"I guess I forgot to mention the little fact about your abilities being tethered to your soul," he spat, "No soul. No powers."

Now she was the one blanching, "What?"

Damon dropped his hand from the cage, a shimmer of the temper he was so well known for flickering behind his gaze, "Looks like you get to serve your time the old fashioned way, my sweet."

He backed away, the lights flickering as he did so.

"Damon, wait-"

"I'll leave you to think about how bad being Queen could really be, when you're already so desperate to leave the prison you've put yourself in."

Then he was gone, along with the light, along with any sense of hope she might have felt.

This was going to be the longest night of her life.

And the Sorrow Cells hadn't even began to work their magic on her.

* * *

 **Bow wow wow.**

 **So Damon's being a bit of a dick right now lol, but so is she ;)**

 **The goodies are coming soon though, I promise!**


	6. Chapter 6

**New update!**

 **Also, It's one in the morning here lol, so forgive any mistakes please! :)**

 **Happy reading!**

* * *

Elena laid in the dark for what felt like millenniums, before she was finally able to sleep.

The first few hours had been nothing but the drowning blackness, but she had used the numbing of her senses as a way to focus.

To renew her determination.

She was in this cell because her alternative was to be wed, which she could not allow to happen, even to Damon.

There was too much of her mother in her to ever settle for the marriage bed, and she would not risk being impregnated with a bastard doomed to the same shamed upbringing she herself had suffered.

Sure, when she was younger she had considered that one day she might find a god worthy of her, whom she would care for and _want_ to bear children to, buth those were the dreams of youth and through heartbreak she had learned the truth.

Love was a illusion.

A fickle, fleeting magic trick that was more lust than affection, and she refused to allow the promise of that lie to dictate her future.

Damon claimed he loved her; but he was wrong.

Love would not have given her this kind of ultimatum.

In the hours that passed after that, she learned that the Sorrow Cells were aptly named.

Formed as a first level punishment for sinners, they echoed the screams of all the lives she had taken; the excruciating cries emitting through the space around her; demanding her penance.

They were impossible to ignore and seemed to seep from her very memory instead of the cell walls.

Within minutes, she was screaming with them. Pleading for their wails to cease.

When no relief was to be found, she had endured, using her anger to fuel her clutch on sanity.

Anger at Damon of course; but also at her parents, and all the other Olympians who had lifted their noses at her very being.

They had turned her into this; every last one of them, and in the darkness she wished it was their screams she was hearing instead.

She longed to make them pay for _their_ sins.

Thoughts of retribution overcame her as exhaustion settled within her bones, and eventually a restless sleep did find her.

And with it, dreams of death and swords wielded in her capable hands as Mt. Olympus ran wet with the blood of fallen gods.

The beautiful rays of dying suns would be drowned out by the thickness of smoke and hellfire in the lungs of all of those who once scorned at her birth.

It was a tempting aspiration, to imagine those same deities who declared her unholy dragging their mangled bodies through the dirt to lay at her feet, pleas of mercy on their lips.

She would sit above them on a throne made of souls and brimstone, a crown of bones upon her head as they called her Majesty. Called her Queen.

And at her side?

She glanced over to find a haunting pair of eyes staring back.

As blue as Poseidon's Sea and just as bloodthirsty.

 _Damon_.

"I can give you this," he whispers inside her head, "If you will only _let_ me. My love, I will make them pay for what they have done to you. Your soul longs for a revenge no other death will satisfy; no matter how much you kill. I can bring you peace."

The words were a lulling promise.

But that velvet voice had made her promises before and had broken them.

She no longer had faith in false hopes.

If blood was what she wanted, she would take it with her own two hands.

She screamed this to the blue eyes until they disappeared.

Along with all other voices and dreams.

Finally, it was quiet; it was dark, and she was able to fade away into the nothingness.

* * *

Damon shook his head, pulling himself out of the dream-like trance with a curse.

Of course Elena would be stubborn about this.

Of course she was going to fight him at every turn, even if he was offering her everything she wanted.

He looked down to his hands, where her soul rested within his palm.

It shimmered and glowed within his touch, pure and untainted despite the front his beloved forced.

There was no hiding behind ego and sharp tongues when the essence of your being told the truth.

Elena was hurt. Deeply.

Damon ran the tips of his fingers over the sparking orb, aching to comfort the pain he felt radiate from it.

Pain he had helped cause.

He had known she was angry at him for leaving; had known it even as he left.

But his powers had been beyond his control, and Hades had been the calling of his blood to the darkness.

He had never meant to lose her in it.

And in the years of his absence, she had adapted to survive in a realm that didn't want her.

But he wanted her, and while he convinced her that this was where she belonged, he could keep her safe.

After all, the actions of her latest vengeance had consequences, and he had already begun to receive ravens from Olympus.

A lightning bolt was melted onto the seal of the last, so it was not a hard guess at who had sent the letter.

Zeus, father of gods and men, had no doubt expressed the displeasure of recent events at Aphrodite's insistence.

The first letter had, as expected, had bore her sigil.

After placing Elena's soul back in the golden chest he'd stored it in, he reached over for Zeus's letter.

However, before he could even open it, the two hounds resting near the foot of his bed leaped to their feet and started baying at the door.

Snarling, Damon tossed the papers aside, allowing his fingertips to erupt in flames as he stormed across the room, ready to decimate whoever dared disturb him here.

A daemon guard was on the other side, holding a single torch in it's leather fleshed hands.

The thing cowered down in fear at the sight of Damon before it, "My liege, I _beg_ forgiveness! I would not disturb, but she insisted!"

Damon paused, closing the fist to distinguish the flames, "She?"

From the darkened hall stepped a lone figure, her gown of pastel pink offsetting in the harsh glow of the torch light.

Her face was as fair as the flowers braided through her hair, and with her presence came the scent of rain water on fresh meadows.

" _Mother_ ," he breathed, dropping to one knee, "I was not expecting you."

The stony expression on Persephone's face was harsh as her gaze bore into him, "My son...you kneel before me with your head high."

Damon stood, the cavern walls igniting with light as he did so, "Kings may kneel, but they do not bow."

"Your father did," she pushed past him with a smile, "Kings bow for their Queens."

Entering his room, she beckoning for him to follow.

With a sigh, he trailed in after her, closing the door behind them.

* * *

"So I suppose that honor will be bestowed to your new bride," her delicate brow arched as she wafted around the room, petting one of the hounds as she did so.

The thing looked a lot less ferocious as it's bony tail wagged beneath her touch.

Damon leaned against one of the bedposts with his arms crossed, keeping a steady voice, "So you've heard."

"All of Olympus has heard," Persephone hissed, her eyes flashing, "You foolish boy. Did I teach you nothing of kindness? Of respect for the daughters of the gods-blood? It broke my heart to hear what you had done!"

"And what exactly is it that you believe I have done?" he challenged, lifting his chin as he spoke.

His mother did not hesitate with her answer, "You've killed one of Aphrodite's daughters and taken the soul of another; the bastard of Ares, and plan to wed her."

"Do not call her that," he warned, "Elena is more than the spawn of their affair."

"I know who she is," Persephone was not to be dissuaded, "You've pined for her for half your life. Is that why you took her?"

Damon sighed, "I have her soul, yes, but it is rightfully contracted. And yes, I plan to make her my bride...but the reason is not because of my affections for her."

Disbelief colored his mother's features, "Do not lie to me, my son."

"It is not my only reason, then," he corrected, uncrossing his arms as he moved to sit on the edge of his bed.

"The halfling daughter that I reaped...it was at Elena's request."

Persephone drew up short, before cautiously relaxing her stance, "Why?"

Damon lifted his gaze to her, "Mother, you are of the civil Olympians, and still you call her bastard. What do you think the others say of her? How do you think they treat her? As one of them? Ha. She is as outcasted as I was the moment I showed signs of beholding my father's power."

Persephone's frustration at him seemed to dissipate as she strode over and sat beside him on the bed, "She may be a pariah, but that hardly explains the involvement with her sister. I have only heard is that the girl was found with her human lover, whose soul you burned out."

"Collateral damage," he dismissed, "But the sister...she had what Elena wanted. What Elena _deserves_. Seeing the halfling live a happiness not judged by the gods...it was unexceptable. An insult. Not that anyone other than I will understand that."

His mother sighed as her palm seeked his, "You traded the half breed's life for Elena's soul?"

"It worked out that way. But I traded Ares' debt for the right to marry her. And I will marry her, mother," he turned so that his blue eyes met her identical pair, "Elena's dagger was left behind with the bodies. When Aphrodite discovers what Elena has done...when Zeus and all of the mountain learn the truth…"

"You fear they will come for her," Persephone realized.

Damon's expression darkened, "Let them try. As my Queen, her domain will be here. Olympus knows my power. No one would dare threaten her, in fear of what I would do to them. If she takes the crown, I can protect her."

His mother's fingers squeezed his tightly, "I hear you, my son, I do. But you can not force marriage onto the girl. She will hate you for it."

"Then let her hate me," his mind was already made up, "At least as Queen, she will be safe to do so. Olympus will not touch her."

Persephone stared him down, "And you are sure this has nothing to do with your affections for her?"

He stared back at her, his teeth clenched, "She _belongs_ with me."

His mother sighed, her hand leaving his to cup his cheek as she stood.

"She belongs _with_ you, perhaps," she said with desolation, "But not _to_ you, Damon. Remember that."

She parted with those words, giving him a brushing kiss atop the head before leaving the room as swiftly as she had entered it.

Damon watched the empty space she had left behind, allowing her words to echo through his thoughts.

Perhaps he should take a different approach with Elena...try to warm her to the idea of his throne, instead of demanding her acceptance of it.

He shook his head.

Either way, she could wait a few moments longer; he still had letters to respond to.

* * *

Elena awoke with harsh light shining in her eyes.

It took a moment, along with several blinks, for her to determine exactly why she was lying on a poorly kept cot, in a room with bars and clay confinements.

Until it all rushed back, and she sat up quickly, eyes darting around.

Surely enough, the source of the sudden brightness was there, standing just outside her cage door.

"Good," he was smiling, "You're awake."

Elena scowled as Damon ran a hand over the door, unlocking the mechanism, and stepped inside her cell.

"Sleep well?"

"Go to hell, Damon."

His brow arched before he glanced around their environment with pointed obviousness, and she rolled her eyes, "You know what I mean."

His smile broadened as she sat back on her arms, "What are you doing here, anyway? Wasn't I supposed to have reflection time?"

"Need I remind you that your imprisonment was self imposed," he pointed out, "Say the word, my sweet, and you can join me in a much more comfortable arrangement."

She hmphed, "Perhaps if you were only offering your bed, I would agree to those terms."

"Terms," he rolled the word, taking a few steps closer to her, "That is the reason I am here."

"Don't tell me you've finally come to your senses," she didn't dare feel hopeful.

Damon reached out a hand to her, an offer, and with hesitance she took it, allowing him to pull her to her feet.

"I am open to negotiations," he corrected, "Within reason."

"Negotiations," she tested the word with caution, "You would allow me to barter back my soul? My powers?"

He still had not let go of her hand.

"I will consider it, depending on the bargain struck," he admitted, "But not on the deal I made with your father. I want you as my wife, Elena...but I want you to be happy."

"Those two facts are far from mutually exclusive," she pointed out, "You expect me to be happy as your wife?"

"I ask only that you give me the chance to prove that you _could_ be," he told her, "Everything we wanted all those years ago...we can have them now. Here. Together."

Her eyes flashed with the need to call him out, "You mean everything that _you_ wanted? I wanted a life above. A life on Olympus with-"

"You want them all to burn," he argued.

Elena shook her head, "How would you even…"

Oh. _Of course_.

"The dreams...the voice was yours? Of course it was."

Damon did not bother to deny it, "I was merely showing you a possibility. If that is what you wanted, I would make it happen. I would give you the world if you were mine. You'd need only to ask."

"The _world_?" she smirked coldly, "For how long? Until you grew tired of me? Until mix blooded whores warm your bed and I am forced to find solace for a loveless marriage in the arms of another?"

"We are not your parents," he accused, his hands lifting to grab her face as his eyes smoldered with heat, making her feel weak, "And you are mistaken if you think our marriage will be loveless."

* * *

His lips descended upon hers, and after the endless hours of darkness, the warmth of him was intoxicating.

Unable to help herself, Elena melted against his body, slipping her arms around him as he leaned them back against the cot.

She felt the cool frame against her back, but could hardly bring herself to care when he was holding her like this.

"I would love you well, my Queen," Damon breathed against her skin, lips trailing to her neck, "As often as you would allow," a graze of his teeth, "Greedily," his tongue stroked her throat, "I _hunger_ for you."

That tongue found its way into her mouth, opening her beneath him until they were tangled together on the cot.

But when the tips of his fingers edged against the slits of her dress, she pushed him back.

"Hunger is not love," she inhaled deeply, "And if my body is all you want; then we are already doomed."

Damon moved, repositioning so that he could hold himself above her, "You think I would go through all of this trouble for the sex? As if I could not have wooed that from you with the passage of time."

Her scolding look brought a smile across his lips, "If I wanted a body to find pleasure with, I have plenty to choose from. I want _you_ , Elena, for the same reason I always have."

"You don't love me the way you think you do," she whispered.

Damon straightened, "And you don't _hate_ me the way you think _you_ do."

 _Touche._

* * *

She followed his lead, sitting up until they were separated and diagonal.

"Then what compromise do you propose?" she asked, convincing herself that it was more out of curiosity than desire.

Damon smiled, "To be discussed. But first, there is something more pressing that requires our attention."

"There is?"

He nodded, "Word of our...situation with your sister has finally reached your mother's ears. Zeus has requested a council. It will take place in my altar room at high noon. I thought you would like the chance to clean up before facing the charges.

Elena frowned at that news.

Her mother. _Zeus_. A _council_ …

Fuck.

"They may also be pissed off that I have refused to send you to Olympus for the All-Father's judgment," Damon did not sound worried in the slightest.

"You think they will rule in my favor?" she asked, feeling doubtful.

Damon took her hand and pulled her toward the door of the cage, "I think that they will rule in whatever way I tell them to."

She shook her head, smirking a little at his confidence, "You will bring forth both of our demise."

He winked, but offered no further explanation to his plan.

And going on a little faith for once, Elena decided not to ask questions.

* * *

 **Lots going on ;) Let me know what you think!**


	7. Chapter 7

**New chapter! Enjoy!**

* * *

When Elena was young, she thought of the Underworld only as depicted in the stories she had heard.

Dark. Evil. A swelling heat that would scorch your blood to boil.

The truth however, was less daunting.

As Damon led her through the caverned paths, light seemed to follow him, the walls igniting with his every step as they passed, and the air around them was almost cold.

She imagined there were probably sections of Hades that burned with hellfire, but it was not all encompassing as she had once believed when she was younger.

"Here," Damon announced, finally, as a lowering set of stairs gave way to a large door that reminded Elena of dungeons.

"What's this?" she asked, "Another cell?"

Damon fought a smirk at her remark, before reaching to open the thing.

"No, actually, I thought you might like to change before facing the might of Olympus."

Curiously, she walked past him, into the room the door had opened to.

It was someone's bed chambers, she realized, looking around, though it was vastly different than Damon's.

The large bed was not canopied, nor was it covered with black silk, but rather golds and bronze.

Paintings from era's long past hung from the walls, brightening the room with fields of blossoms and peaceful rivers.

"Where are we?" she asked him, lifting up to touche a particular Monet that was no doubt an original piece.

"These are my mother's chambers," he explained, "You can borrow one of her gowns to wear before the council."

"Is there something wrong with this one?" she challenged, motioning to her now dust stained dress, "Or do you not want the gods to know you had me sleep in a cell last night?"

The look she received was a sharp one that made her smirk as he moved on to what appeared to be a closet.

"I offered other accommodations," he reminded her, returning with a handful of clothes, "Which we have already discussed, and can discuss further once Zeus has passed his judgment. For now, you need to focus on looking the part. These will help."

He tossed the lot on the bed, for her to observe.

"What part am I meant to look?" she asked, glancing sidelong at him, "What gown could possibly exist that will stop the council from asking for my blood."

His eyes burned into hers.

The blue was soft though, almost pitying her.

"You believe they will call for your death?" Damon crooked his head slightly.

Elena turned to face him, "My dagger was left within my sister's body. Even if she killed herself, my involvement is undeniable. It is doubtful my mother will be lenient and the others have wanted an excuse to get rid of me for years."

He studied her closely and she held his gaze unfazed.

"You must have known this was always going to be a possibility," he pointed out, "Why even take the risk?"

"Why do you think I came to you?" she shot back, "I knew what evidence of my involvement would lead to. I had not planned on there being any. And if you had just let Matthew kill Amara, there would not have been."

"You would blame me for this?" Damon's brow shot up, "Forgetting that all the while, _you_ were the one taunting me into those actions. Had the human's hands not been upon you, I would not have killed him."

Elena stared at him pointedly, "So, I face death because you were jealous."

"You face the council because you wanted to dangle your human in front of me. Because torture amuses you, whether you'll admit it or not."

She shook her head, brushing off his words, "It doesn't matter either way, I suppose. Dead or alive, you already have my soul."

She picked up one of the dresses, the sheer black material running through her fingers.

"This one."

Damon assessed her choice, then nodded, "You will wear it well."

She agreed, knowing how enticing her body became in form fitting attire.

Lazily, she reached behind her, undonning the dress tie at her neck so that it fell loose around her body.

Damon arched his brow as she pulled the material over her hips.

"What?" she demanded, with a roll of her eyes, "It's nothing you haven't seen before."

He shrugged, but remained silent as she stripped down; naked before him.

She sorted through the black layers of the new dress, hoping that she and Persephone were at least close in size, and slipped the gown over her head.

Damon came behind her then, helping adjust the straps and loose strands.

"I will not reap you," he told her quietly, "Even if your soul was not already mine, I would not send you through the veil."

Once everything was in place, she turned slowly to face him.

"You would refuse to allow my death? Even if Zeus demands it?"

Her voice sounded disbelieving, even to her own ears, so it wasn't surprising when Damon chuckled, "Have you lost that much faith in me?"

They were close enough that the warmth of his body reached her beyond the material of the dress, and she leaned closer to it without thought.

"The council would have you killed alongside me for the insubordination."

"They won't," he assured her, his arm slowly snaking around her waist, pulling her closer, "They can't."

Her gaze narrowed, "Gods are powerful, Damon, but not invincible. Even your own father was was able to be killed; his soul passed through the veil. Do not be foolish enough to believe yourself indestructible."

"Not indestructible," he smiled, "Just unkillable."

"Damon-"

"Do you trust me?" he asked suddenly, drawing her short.

When she hesitated to answer, he repeated the question, "Elena, on your life...do you trust me?"

Did she?

He had after all ruined her plans in order to manipulate his way into ownership of her soul and gained the rights through contract to marry her, despite her disagreements, and on top of that, had left her in the Sorrow Cells all night.

Damon was not a good person; he was selfish, prideful, and at times even cruel.

By all means she should not trust him.

But on the other hand, everything he had done, every move he had made, had been because of this twisted belief he had that he loved her.

He wanted her.

In his bed, or as his Queen, for whatever reason...he could not have any of it if she were dead, and he did control the veil.

So when it came to putting her life in his hands…

"Yes," she swallowed thickly, "Yes. I trust you."

His mouth curved again, making him so achingly beautiful that she hated him.

"Good," he exhaled, robbing her breath as he leaned down.

His lips brushed against hers softly, more of a whisper than a kiss, "Then you have nothing to worry about."

* * *

Elena was doubtful of that later, as she sat in the room alone, waiting to be retrieved for her trial.

For a goddess usually so unshakingly sure of herself, the nerves that coiled in her belly at the thought of facing the All-father were a surprise.

She supposed it was reasonable, to fear what his verdict could be, but she had never seen the point in dreading the inevitable.

When the room of the door creaked open, she shot to her feet, hands instinctively searching her thigh for the dagger that was no longer there.

 _Damn it._

However, the intruder was not an obvious threat; nor was it Damon.

A goddess dressed in a gown of vines and soft pastel silk, strode in, her long hair piled atop her head with flowers that continued down her robes.

Elena recognized her instantly and declined her head, dropping her body into a low bow, "Your Majesty."

Persephone, Queen of the Underworld, and Damon's mother stood before her with a curious expression.

"Rise, child," she ordered, and Elena did as commanded.

The goddess observed her, eyes as blue as her son's trailing Elena's body purposefully.

"The gown suits you," Persephone stated simply, before her gaze stopped once more on Elena's face.

"Thank you," she answered, confused as to why she was in the presence of the Queen in the first place, "Are you here to retrieve me?"

"Not quite," the goddess answered with a slight smile, "The others have arrived, but my son will deal with the politics while I sate my desire for answers."

Elena's brows furrowed at the statement.

"Answers...for what?"

Instead of answering, the Queen walked forward and took Elena's face into her palms.

Elena, who didn't dare object, stared back into Persephone's gaze.

It was soft; curious.

"You really are your mother's daughter, aren't you?" she observed, brushing the tips of her fingers over Elena's cheeks, "Same beautiful features, same flawless skin. Same depth in those golden brown eyes. No wonder my son is so enamoured by you."

She dropped her hand, and Elena was struck with a feeling of indignation.

"I never asked for his affection," she upheld.

"No, just for his assistance," Persephone returned, "And now he defends you in a trial before the gods."

"A trial of his own making," she insisted.

Persephone shook her head, "My son desires you. He kills for you. Faces the wrath of the gods in your name…"

"He has also taken my soul and forces my hand for marriage," Elena snapped, "None of which did I contract from him. If there is blame to be had, it is with him, not me."

Persephone smiled a little at her outburst.

"What?" Elena demanded, annoyed enough that formalities escaped her.

"You defend yourself with fire, Aphrodite's daughter," the goddess reached forward, fixing the strap of Elena's dress, "This is good. I feared you would be weak."

Elena bared her teeth at the sentiment, "I may look like my mother, but I was raised beneath my father's sword. War runs through my veins. I am _not_ weak."

"Good. You will need that strength here," Persephone warned, "Being Queen is not easy."

Elena flinched at her words, "I am not Queen."

"Damon will claim it otherwise before the council," she informed her, "If you are smart, you will agree with what he says within their presence."

Elena considered her words.

Was she truly meant to purger herself to a lie, based on a promise she had no intention of keeping?

"For what it's worth," Persephone spoke again, softer this time, "I do not agree with the way Damon brought you here. I do not blame you for fighting his plan for you. But I also know that the death of the halfling was not at his bequest. He is saving you from your destruction...not causing it. You are the one at the disadvantage. So compromise with him. Otherwise, your fate could be worse than anything he has planned for you."

* * *

 _Compromise._

The word was tossing around in Elena's mind, even after a guard member appeared to summon her, and Persephone bid her a final goodbye.

The entire meeting with the Queen had lessened the intimidation of the trial, giving her something else to think about.

What had the goddess meant by a worse fate?

Death at the hands of the Olympians?

Was she saying that Damon was the least worst of the two unfortunate options before her?

Elena wanted to scream and stab something again, until her frustration bled away to exhaustion.

She did not want to be Damon's bride.

She did not want to die.

She did not want…

 _What?_

What did she not want?

Or rather, what was it that she _did_ want?

Had she ever been given the choice before?

A life of servitude to love and fertility, helping the mortals find something that she herself did not believe in.

A life of war and killing, destruction following her wake because chaos was her heritage.

These were the choices she had been forced to settle with, but had she ever considered what she might want, absent the calling of her blood?

What was it that she actually enjoyed? Actually liked?

She thought about the times in her existence that she was truly happy.

Traveling; she considered.

The times that she, Damon, Caroline, and other young gods would portal through realms, causing mischief.

That had made her happy.

She also enjoyed sex.

She thought of Damon's hands upon her before, in the cell, and how his words had made her crave his body.

No doubt she would find satisfaction in his bed.

But to be his _wife_? Bound to him and the Underworld for the entirety of her being…

No.

That was supposed to be her choice; not something he could will from her father through a contract.

But like Persephone, like Aphrodite, like Hera herself, it would seem that she was destined to fall to the prey of her sex, another goddess left without a choice by males who would claim to own them.

How could that ever bring her happiness?

* * *

The thoughts were interrupted as she arrived at Damon's throne room.

The doors were no longer guarded, but wide open, filled with witness to the events from all realms.

Drawn chariots and sigils of different gods on guards filled the hall, and Elena forced her head up high as she entered.

After all, choice or no choice, she was a daughter of the gods-blood.

And they would not see her break.

* * *

Damon watched as Elena entered his altar room.

She was a vision in the gown she had chosen.

Black silk that hugged tightly to her body, curving around her breasts and falling loosely down her long legs, so that bare skin flashed with every step she took.

And he was not the only one to notice.

Every eye had turned to her when she stepped into the room, silence dropping like a wave throughout the assemble.

If the attention bothered her though, he could not tell.

Her chin was as high as ever and she strode in as if she owned the place, which admittedly, he was ready to give her.

He stood from his throne, and her eyes found him, a flicker of relief in her expression as he started down the stairs, toward her.

When he reached her side, he brought a hand to her shoulder.

"Breathe," he instructed, "And do as I say. This will be over soon."

She nodded slightly, just a tilt of her head, but he took it to mean that she was trusting him, and that knowledge alone renewed his confidence of ending the trial with haste.

With a dramatic flare, he turned to face the council.

* * *

They stood in a semi-circle on the opposite side of the room, staring over at him and Elena, ready to begin.

Zeus stood in the direct center, towering and large in scale when compared to the rest, white hair falling around his shoulders and his dark eyes were narrowed into slits.

It was to him that Damon gave his attention.

"She is here. As promised."

Zeus did not appear amused with his prologue.

"Step forward, both of you," his heavy voice declared, the sound of thunder personified.

Damon took Elena's hand, leading her over to the circle.

The council was made of the usual judgment bringers.

Zeus. Hera. Athena. Dike. Nemesis. And in this case, both of Elena's parents.

Ares looked none too pleased to find himself within the Underworld, and Damon hardly blamed him.

It was doubtful that the rest knew of his involvement with Elena's situation, and the chance of it coming to light in trial was almost guaranteed.

Aphrodite, however, was harder to read, her eyes trained on her daughter with a hostile focus.

"Elena," Zeus began, meeting the brunette's gaze, "You stand accused of shedding the gods-blood of your maternal sister. Do you deny the charge?"

"Half," Elena answered, meeting Zeus's stare head on.

"Pardon me," the all-father said slowly.

"My sister," Elena elaborated, "She was only half of the gods-blood. She was also part mortal. A fact I feel is relevant if you're considering a punishment for her demise."

Damon dropped his head so that the others would not see the smirk that crossed his lips

Gods be damned, was this girl made for him.

Zeus's expression was stone, "So you do not deny killing her?"

Elena's lips were tight, "She killed herself."

"With your dagger," Aphrodite spoke, her voice even, "Next to the body of a scorched human," her eyes flickered to Damon, then back to her daughter, "So what would you have us believe? Help us to understand."

Elena turned to her mother, her expression just as hard as when Zeus had questioned her, "Believe what you want, understand what you want, but your halfling killed herself over the death of a mortal."

"A mortal killed by the son of Hades," Athena pointed out, "At your request."

Elena scoffed, "On the contrary, the human was the one I wanted alive."

"So you admit to wanting the half blood dead?" Zeus confirmed, his lip curling, "To orchestrating the events that would lead to your dagger in her heart?"

Elena glanced at him quickly, and when Damon nodded for her to tell the truth, she exhaled slowly.

"Yes, I admit to wanting her dead. I went to her human with every intention of making him kill her. I enlisted Damon's help in return for her soul."

A low murmur of voices broke out across the room at her revelation, but Zeus lifted a hand, silencing them, "You have one chance to offer a defense for your actions. Otherwise, the punishment of spilling the gods-blood, however diluted, is death."

Damon watched as Elena swallowed, the smallest flicker of concern seeping into her eyes.

Her mouth opened, but before she could respond, he stepped forward.

"I wonder if your wife would agree?"

All eyes turned to him, including Elena's.

Hera's gaze narrowed on him as Zeus spoke, "Meaning?"

"How many of your whores has she attempted to kill in retribution? How much of the gods-blood has _she_ spilled?" Damon demanded.

The gods looked affronted, but Zeus...his look was murder.

"You should choose your words with care, son of Hades. Or I will see you through your own veil!"

Damon smiled coldly, "Will you?"

* * *

Elena's breath caught as she watched Damon taunt the all-father, who had just threatened him with death.

"Will you?" he had asked with a grin.

A _fucking_ grin! Did he want them both to die?!

"Damon-" she started, but he held a hand up in her direction.

She paused, closing her mouth, but still felt uneasy.

"This is not Olympus," Damon scorned, staring right at Zeus, "This is _my_ domain. This is _Hades_! And I will not listen to your words of hypocrisy here."

"Blasphemy," hissed Hera, "You _arrogant_ child."

Zeus's hand lifted and Elena felt the air change with the threat of his power, but still, Damon was smiling.

"You came for a trial," Damon spoke, standing straighter, "To throw accusations into a deal that I have made. A murder that I commited."

" _You_?" Aphrodite's lip curled back.

"You think the halfling daggered herself willingly?" he arched a brow, "No. My words guided the blade to her chest as surely as her own hand did."

Zeus's hand lowered slightly, "Then you both are on trial."

"You can draw that line if you wish," Damon told him, "But keep in mind All-Father, you can not kill what can't be killed."

A laugh escaped Zeus's lips at that, followed by some chuckled from a few around the room.

"You think yourself invincible, do you? I should strike you now!"

Damon nodded, "It is your prerogative to strike me, sure. But it is not within your best interest."

"It's not?" Zeus questioned, sounding amused.

Damon smirked, "No. It is not."

* * *

He let out a low whistle then, and Elena was surprised when the ground began to shift slightly.

The surprise on the faces of the gods and servants around her confirmed that this was Damon's doing.

As the shifting settled, openings in the stone were revealed and the baying snarls that emitted from them was a familiar sound.

Large dark hounds sprouted from the holes, filling the room behind Damon, everyone else jumping back in fear.

Elena however, remained in place, knowing the dogs would only attack when ordered.

Zeus snarled at the sight, "Enough games, unless you wish me to kill your little pets here and now!"

Damon laughed, "Do you _see_ them? Their bones and open flesh? The tendons above their teeth? They are of the realm of death! _You can not kill what is already dead_!"

"Your father was of the death realm," Zeus reminded him coldly, "And as I recall, you had no problem ending _his_ life."

"Enough of this," Hera interrupted, "Sentence them both for the crime and be done with it!"

At her words, flames erupted in Damon's palms and seemed to reflect within his eyes, as if the hellfire was a part of him.

"You can try," he hissed lowly, "But if you do, you _will_ burn."

"YOU DARE THREATEN US?!" Zeus bellowed, taking another step forward, despite the growls of the hounds, "YOU CHILD! I WILL ANNIHILATE-"

"NOTHING!" Damon cut him off, "You will annihilate nothing. You will punish _nothing_. Because I know something that you do not."

That drew Zeus up short, though rage still rolled across his features.

"And what is that?"

"I am death," Damon repeated, "And I can _not_ be killed."

"Your father was death before you, child," Athena lifted her chin harshly, "And he-"

"Had an heir," Damon stated.

Silence followed, and even Elena found herself blinking in confusion.

"The veil was controlled by my father's power," Damon continued, "Power I inherited. Over the veil that controls who dies. And if you have forgotten, even the god of war with a penchant for blood could not force my father through it."

Eyes flickered to Ares, who was glaring daggers at Damon now.

"Why do you think he enlisted my help to begin with?" Damon questioned, playing with the flames on his fingertips, "Because only a god with power over the veil can force another god's soul through it! If you want to kill me, then I must assume you now possess the power of death?"

When Zeus only continued to look uncomfortable, Damon smiled, "No? Strange...then I suppose you expect me to escort my own soul through the veil? Which of course, would then leave you in the predicament of an open Underworld with my absence. If I am not alive to pass the souls through, you condemn them all to purgatory. What will you do then, All-Father, when faced with a world of souls that can not cross over? Without an heir of my blood, you have no alternative."

Zeus hissed a curse, and Elena began to feel the first glimpses of hope.

"Your point is made," the god spat angrily, "And while your worth may put you beyond the grasps of punishment, the same can hardly be said for her," his finger jammed in Elena's direction, "The bastard must still pay for the gods-blood shed."

Damon's hand lifted, the fire glowing brighter as anger colored his words, "Touch her, and the next soul I escort through the veil will be yours."

Zeus hesitated, but the goddess, Dike, spoke with indignation, "It is not your place to stand in the way of justice!"

"It is when the soul being punished belongs to me," Damon snarled back, summoning a contract with his free hand and offering it toward Zeus, "Read it All-Father. It is signed in precious gods-blood."

Zeus took the paper from him, his eyes scanning the words before shooting to Elena, "You contracted yourself to hell?"

"I contracted my sister's soul," she corrected, giving Damon a sidelong glance, "Things did not go the way I planned them."

"I am owed the soul of Aphrodite's daughter," Damon answered, "In binding blood. If the goddess wishes to offer another child to me, that is her right."

Aphrodite scowled at him, as Damon summoned yet another paper.

"However, even if she did choose to do so, Elena's soul is still bound to me," he offered this contract to Zeus as well, "Through Ares blood debt, she will be my wife. Queen of the Underworld."

That revelation broke the silence once more, and this time, Zeus did not stop the whispers, to surprised himself.

"What?!" Aphrodite hissed, glaring now at her lover, "You give her to _him_! To the Underworld?!"

"And you would have her punished for killing the spawn of a human," Ares bellowed in return, "A daughter of my blood was of more value than your halfling!"

* * *

In the chaos sprouted, Damon reached back for Elena's hand.

She let him take it and he pulled her forward, to stand at his side, where he knew without a doubt she belonged.

"So as I'm sure you can see," he told Zeus, through the noise, "This trial is over."

Zeus's lip curled, but there was defeat in his eyes.

"For now, son of Hades...for now."

* * *

 **Next chapter will continue where this one ends :)**

 **Let me know what you thought!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys, still here, I swear lol. Just got busy with work and class.**

 **Will try to keep updating regularly though!**

 **Enjoy this extra long chapter :)**

* * *

It felt as if days had passed, by the time all who'd come to bare witness to the trial had cleared, mostly in fear, from the Underworld, and Elena was left with Damon and those within his servitude, standing in in front of his altar.

There was a ringing silence in the wake of all the guest, and it took a few shallow breaths for her to realize that the worst of the matter had passed, and that she would not be fighting for her life this day.

"It's over?" she exhaled, slowly, her eyes hesitantly seeking out Damon's, too relieved in the moment to remember her anger at him.

"It is over," he assured her, as the smile that had stolen her heart broke out across his lips.

A laugh of humorless consolation escaped her throat, and all the muscles of her body released their tension.

"Thank you."

His arms were around her then, picking her up so that her feet were lifted from the ground as he spun her around, "I would have never let them harm you."

Her hands grasped at his face, their foreheads falling together with the sweet taste of their victory tainting the air between them.

"If not that you were the reason for the trial, I would owe you my gratitude," she smirked, a breath away from his parted lips.

Damon found little amusement with her words, and silenced them effectively.

"The gratitude you will owe to me has yet to even begin, my sweet. This is merely the beginning of our reign. Olympus will still yet bow before us."

Elena pulled away and motioned for him to replace her to her feet.

Once she felt the ground beneath her once more, her brow arched at him.

"You would still force me to matrimony?"

"I do not waiver on my intent," he assured her, "Though I did promise that I would allow for you to pitch a compromise. A bargain for your soul, and the return of your powers."

"But not for the right to refuse you marriage," she scowled.

He smiled, a little coldly, "If the arrangement is not to your liking, perhaps you should take the matter up with your father...but of course, you would need your soul returned to you before you could follow him back to his domain."

Elena rolled her eyes, "Fine. Let us discuss your terms and see this finished."

Damon shook his head, "Not here."

"Then where? And I swear on the gods, if you suggest your bed chambers, I will-"

"Not there, either," he chuckled, reaching forward to squeeze her arms with his palms, "I would have you join me for dinner."

"Dinner?" she repeated.

"Feast and wine," he smiled, "To celebrate the fact that we both yet live after this most tedious encounter."

Elena considered that.

She would not want Damon to think that she was softening to him, by accepting a place at his table, absent a good amount of begging on his part, but on the other hand, they had just faced an impending death and lived.

And she was quite hungry.

"A meal," she clarified, "To discuss this compromise over?"

Damon nodded, releasing her so that he could offer her his hand, "I shall have aged wine and a lamb prepared to your taste...do you accept?"

Elena sighed, and pushed her hair back over her shoulder before placing her own palm in his, "It had better be damn good wine."

* * *

The Dining Hall was nothing like the ones she had attended to in Olympus, or of any in the mortal realm.

Where those were clearly meant for sizable feasts, fitting for any number of guests; the table here, in Damon's domain, was much more humble.

Its size would fit no more than eight, which in hindsight shouldn't have come as a surprise.

She doubted the Underworld received many visitors yearning for food, and couldn't help but wonder at how many meals Damon had attended alone.

Even in her state of grievance with him, she managed to feel pity.

He had always enjoyed the feasts and the harvests they'd attended when he was yet of the surface realm.

Of course, they were not truly alone here.

A guard member stood watch at the entry when Damon led her through it, and souls bound in infinite servitude stood around the room, oblique in the physical form.

Less than mortal, more than spirit, yet ready and able to obey command of their King.

At the snap of his fingers, Damon had the room ablazed in light, torches all along the black stony walls igniting with bright flames at his will, erasing the darkness that had plagued the rest of the room.

The table stood aglow now, the focal point of the rounded space, dimmed only by the chandelier of bone that hung above the chattel.

"Your helm," Damon offered her, pulling back a beautifully carved chair from one end of the table.

Keeping her eyes to him all the while, Elena took her seat and waited for Damon to take his.

Once he had, the servants stepped forward, heads bowed low in submission, speaking quietly in that same dead language she had heard before.

Damon answered them, his tongue curling over the foreign words in a way that had her eyes dropping down to the table, as not to be caught staring.

"The food will be brought shortly," he spoke now in the common tongue, "But as to the wine I promised…"

He motioned for another servant to step forward, this one carrying a cask and two golden goblets.

The thick red of the wine swirled around the container's edge as it was poured, then the servant was placing it in front of her, inclining their head in deference.

Elena picked up the drink and stared down at the liquid.

Suspiciously, she brought it to her nose before her lips.

"It smells sweet," she spoke with surprise, "Not your usual flavor then? I seem to recall you preferred the more smokey tastes. The smooth, rich tannins with a good level of acidity."

"The 1950 Chateau Cheval Blanc," Damon smiled, "You remember?"

"Of course I do," she said flatly, "It is the wine we drank the night you left me."

The smile fell from his face and brought her a bit of satisfaction.

"You could have come with me."

"And you could have stayed," she accused, before letting out a low curse, "However, arguing semantics will get us nowhere. What happened has passed and neither of us can change that now. We're here to discuss the future."

Damon picked up his own cup, moving it so that the wine inside sloshed slightly.

"Discussions," he smirked, "To business then? Still not one for hospitalities, I see."

Elena rolled her eyes, "We all know Persephone's story. Do you think I would risk binding myself eternally more to your domain for the simple pleasure of a drink?"

Damon's lip curled as her words brought the offense she had intended.

"I would not deceive you in such a way. The wine, nor the food I serve will bind you here."

"No, your contract does that," she smiled with the accusation, "That is your more preferred form of deception, is it not?"

Damon exhaled slowly, as if gathering his patience, "I did what was needed to get us here."

"And here we are," she scorned, slowly bringing the goblet to her lips, "Bravo."

* * *

She drank in defiance at first, but when the bittered sweetness of the wine touched her tongue, she fought a moan.

Like all things seemingly possessed by Damon, it was of utter perfection, coating her throat with the most saccharine gratification; the biting honey a taunting aphrodisiac.

Her teeth dragged over her lips once she had drained the cup, pulling every drop into her mouth, sucking away the taste until it had vanished in completion.

"Satisfied?" Damon asked, and she ignored the smugness of his tone.

"What is this?" she lifted the goblet toward him with the demand, and a servant hurried forward to refill it with more of that tempting nectar.

"Falernian wine," Damon answered her, sounding pleased, "Preserved still from Ancient Rome herself, before the fall."

Elena shook her head, "I've had wine of old, and this...this was more. Different."

"It is of the Underworld," Damon reminded her, though before she could hurl an accusation at him, he retracted, "Not in that way. It's fruit was not grown here, therefore hold no binding powers."

"In what way, then?" she asked, resisting the urge to down the newly refilled cup she had been given.

"It is fermented with a few special ingredients," he answered slowly, as if gaging her reaction, "The most prominent being the blood of the damned."

"Blood of the damned," Elena considered, then shook her head, "No. It is much too potent. The gods-blood, perhaps, the ichor...but the blood of dying mortals would not entice so strongly. Even if they are damned."

Damon smiled, "Do not underestimate the power behind lost innocence. There is nothing sweeter or more potent, than the blood of a man who knows an eternity of vengeance awaits him with every last ragged breath."

The harsh words were delivered with such a tender voice, Elena almost forgot that which they were speaking of.

The cup felt heavier in her hand, as she considered the price paid for it.

How many lives had she taken?

How many souls were here, due to her hand?

All of them deserving of it.

And Damon was right; there was a certain gratification in watching the life fade from the eyes, each rise of their chest bringing with it the fear of what awaited them on the other side of the veil.

Now she knew.

How cold were those blue eyes when burning through their body's life source?

What did the dead think of, when they met him, hungry and waiting?

The questions should not enthrall her in the manner they did.

"It is of fair taste," she allowed, deciding to go the route of pleasantries for the time being.

"As the food shall be as well," Damon smirked, and with another wave of his hand, more servants came forward, laden with trays of bountiful harvest, readying for her now screaming stomach.

* * *

Damon watched closely as Elena ate her fill.

Every morsel that touched those perfect lips of hers pleased him endlessly.

With the buffer of meal between them, it was almost as if the years could fade away and the girl he had once loved more than life itself was a slither away from his grasp.

He would do anything to keep the moment alive.

To keep her here, with him now, and out of the ever pressing present that swallowed her up in years of unavoidable hurt and justifiable anger.

They spoke of little at first, until Elena had mentioned Caroline.

Spark of their old friend gave them a common ground on which to reminisce.

"She spends her days in well deserved adoration, being worshiped by all those under the sun," Elena smiled, "And she is perfectly content to lie upon her chase, fanned with palm leaves and being fed by loving hands."

Damon chuckled, "If memory serves, you did not mind that attention so much yourself. Or was it watching the servants fight each other for the right to attend you that brought you such enjoyment?"

Her smirk was genuine, causing his heart to jump, "That was half of the fun, I'll admit. Almost as much fun as you intimidate them away from me."

"You were mine," he reminded her, "Even then. I simply sought to reinforce the sentiment."

Something in Elena's gaze changed at the words, and her expression hardened.

"Yes, well," she sighed, "Much time has passed since then. And the only desire I have to be claimed is my own. So perhaps we should move on to the business part of the evening."

Business.

As if the worth of her soul could ever be considered a simple transaction, as Ares would so carelessly give it.

No. It was a treasure to be possessed; not a thing to be traded and sold absent meaning.

With that note, he gave a stiff nod, "You wish for your soul to be returned to you."

"I wish for you to tell me what it would take for that to be so," Elena corrected, sitting a little straighter in her chair as she finished off her fourth...or was it her fifth cup? Sixth?

He had lost count of the amount of wine they had consumed.

"Your soul is all that you would have?" he confirmed, "If this is contracted, I need specific demands."

Elena nodded, "Yes, that is what I want. Unless you are willing to discuss the release of my father's contract to you-"

"No," he shut her down, and she sighed with exasperation.

"Fine. Then my soul...and an explanation."

"An explanation?"

She nodded, "As to why you want me here so badly. And do not tell me that it is just for me! You maneuvered to make this possible before the council called their trial."

Damon observed her.

The tilt of her head, the rise of her chest as she heaved with each exhale, the way her arched brow demanded answer from him, and pulled her lip into a half snarl.

Then he looked at her eyes.

The brown depths, deeper than the Underworld itself, that had always left him drowning.

"Must you really ask?" he whispered, and she flinched as if he had slapped the words at her.

Her head shook, "I want the truth of it."

"That is the truth."

"No," she bit her lip, "There is more. Because you don't...you don't love me, Damon. You aren't capable of it."

Now it was his turn to flinch.

"Tell that to my heart then. It aches for you, Elena. To hold you in my arms again, to have you at my side, where you have been too long absent from. Just because you fear my affection does not mean I do not feel it."

"I do not fear you," she hissed, holding his gaze, "But if you loved me, you would not have forced me into this."  
"Then how else am I to have you?" he demanded, "How else am I to save you from yourself?"

"I do not need saving," she insisted, and he sighed deeply.

"Oh, but you do, my sweet. You do. I would not have you waste away with the rest of them uptop their precious mountain, concerned with little besides their own petty dramatics. You belong here, as I have always said, where your powers may be used and expressed to their fullest extent."

"No."

"Yes," he insisted, "I see it in your gaze, my love. You live for the blood. The rivers of it running before you. The carnage and the warfare Olympus hates you for would flourish here."

"As it flourishes in my father's domain," she shot in defense.

"But where your heart is ignored," Damon reasoned, "You are two sides of a conflicting coin, Elena. Ares offers you blood, but scorns anything soft in you. Your mother's domain offered you love, yet hates the war of your genetics. I am the only one who can give you both, in the magnitude of which you need, without expecting you to be anything other than what you are."

Elena shook her head, "You expect me to be other than what I am by having me agree to this! I am not fit for marriage, Damon! Not even to you."

"You are not fit for anyone _except_ for me," he rectified, "Nor I, you."

Once again, Elena's teeth found their way between her lips, and as she chewed on them, he thought he saw a glimmer of tears in her eyes.

"I do not want this from you," she pushed her chair back, ready to stand.

"Yet I am yours," he told her, moving quickly to grab her hand.

It said a lot that she did not resist as he pulled her to him, "As I have been since the first moment our lips touched on the shore of Poseidon's Sea."

"A lifetime ago," she shot, yanking herself free, but she remained standing next to him, "Now, the terms? My soul. What price will see it returned?"

Price?

How much was her soul worth, exactly?

He wished he could tell her the truth of his heart.

That her happiness with him, merely existing as his queen would be enough to see it given back.

He wanted her in all her glory, completely whole, and taking her soul in the first place had just been temporary insurance, until their wedding.

Until she was his, sacred and binding.

Though he did not think she was going to be too thrilled with that.

"You want it back," he stared down at her, "As I would like you to have it. But not until I am certain that we are bound together intangibly. You have already attempted to use those powers of yours on me once, to have things your way. I am not a fool."

"That begs to question," she snarled, then exhaled harshly, "Fine. You want me to stand at your side through the binding ceremony? To be your wife before all god and men? To inexplicably imprint us forever into each others lives?"

"Yes," he breathed with purpose.

Elena's jaw set in that stubborn way that drove him crazy, "And if I comply without complaint, you would see my soul returned?"

"I would," he agreed.

"Even knowing I could devote the rest of my existence to making you as miserable as I possibly could?"

He smirked at that. Elena was running true to form.

"I would welcome an eternity of misery at your hands."

Her head shook, almost as if awed.

"What could you possibly want from me so badly?"

He smiled, lifting his hand to run the back of his knuckles over one of her cheeks, "Just you, my sweet. You and the future of the Underworld that our coupling would bring."

* * *

Elena paused at Damon's last line.

Something in the way he'd phrased the statement jolted her with a red flag of warning.

Even if she was desperate enough to give into this madness, though honestly she wasn't sure what other options she had, it wouldn't seem to reason that the Underworld would be threatened if she fought the outcome.

"Future of the Underworld," she repeated back to him, "What does that have to do with me? With us? It stands as sure as it has for millenniums, and has you for its King."

Damon's head crooked, his hand sliding down slightly, to her throat, "I would have thought that part was obvious."

"Which part?"

"One of the many benefits of having you as my Queen,," he reasoned, "One you yourself have even mentioned."

When she only stared at him in demanding silence, he spoke words that froze her heart, "An heir."

A...a what?

Elena pushed Damon away from her harshly.

"You're an ass," she spat, and he laughed with ease, "I am serious."

"Then you are an idiot as well as an ass!" she confirmed, "An _heir_? How can you be serious about that?"

His expression made her want to hit him. Several times.

"Is it such a surprise to expect a child from matrimony?" he demanded.

Elena's teeth flashed, "It's a surprise that you would ever think me to agree to it! I have told you often in the past that I have no desire toward-"

"A bastard," he corrected, "You never wanted to birth a bastard child that would be forced to endure the same fate as you. Our child would not be as such, but an heir to the Underworld."

"Our child," she huffed, "And where in that twisted brain of yours did such a plan form? That forcing me to marry you would open my legs your your intentions?"

Damon shrugged, "You were the one who signed the contract promising life for life."

"And you knew damn well that this was not my meaning," she spat, then found her head shaking, "Why do you even want an heir, Damon? Surely this is not just to further my punishment."

He too sighed, and stepped closer, bringing his touch back to her cheeks, "I do not seek to punish you with this."

"Then why?" she questioned, holding his gaze, "You said yourself at the trial that not having an heir is what makes you a necessity."

"Necessity is the why," he explained, "My words held truth, but what do you think happens if I am to pass? I can not afford to leave Hades in ruin; the veil unattended. A child born of our powers would balance the scales."

"A child you expect me to give to you willingly?"

He smiled devilishly, "We are here to compromise, are we not?"

Elena narrowed her eyes, "This is slightly more than dictation of a contract."

"Then I will give you time to consider," he offered, finally moving away a pace, giving her space to breathe, "We will readdress in the morning. And for the sake of hospitality, I will even see you to your own chambers, though I can assure you the offer to join me in mine still stands."

Elena weighed the options before her.

She would not give him the satisfaction of thinking he was winning, yet with her back between nothing but impossible choices, perhaps he was.

"I will consider your propositions," she told him coldly, "And what more I might demand to deem them worthy of compliance...but I would do so outside of your presence."

Damon gave a slight nod, accompanied with a weary sigh, "I'll show you to your chambers then."

"No," she argued, surprising him, "I don't require your _hospitality_ , or any other favor. I would return to the Cells."

"Elena-"

"You hold me as a prisoner, Damon," she reminded him, "A fact I will not have you try and make me forget by offerings of feasts and comfortable beds."

He was glaring now, and she couldn't help but smirk.

Maybe it was the wine, or the fact that she had affected him through that mask of smugness he wore so well, but his scowl felt like a victory.

"Fine," he consented with displeasure as he motioned to one of the guard, "See her returned to the Sorrow Cells, and that the doors are secured behind her. We wouldn't want the _prisoner_ wandering about."

Elena smiled further, using the moment of Damon's discontentment to further antagonize him.

With a small step, she was able to cup his cheek and quickly brushed her lips against his.

"Remember, you made this bed," she reminded him, then gave his cheek a hard pat, "Have a nice nap, Damon."

* * *

The expression on his face was the only warmth she was left with, later, as she was locked once more into the cage.

The darkness was less daunting this time, knowing that their would soon be an end to it, and when she screams of her past started, they were no longer echoes of painful memory, but a fuel for her determination.

Clearing her head for all that she still needed to sort through.

Firstly, the fact that she needed her soul returned.

Without her powers, she was considerably vulnerable; a fact she did not take kindly to, and she knew just how to retrieve them.

 _Marriage_.

She shuddered at the thought.

There was a time that she might have dreamed of such a day, when she would become Damon's bride...but those were a child's fantasy.

This? This was reality.

Everything was a bargaining chip. Everything was leverage.

Her soul, her hand, her _body_...would she be able to give him that?

The sex itself would be no chore, she was certain, with the amount of times they'd fallen together already.

In fact, that might be the only part of the arrangement she found enjoyment in...but letting Damon's heir grow in her womb, attending to his child... _her_ child.

That was not something she wanted.

A child would tether herself forever to Damon, to the Underworld, in a way that even marriage could not.

And Damon had been right. She refused to allow any child she bore to grow up as she had.

So in having this child, she would be bound to Damon forever.

But if she did not…

How horrid would life be without her powers?

Would she fit in anywhere, or be forced to live among the mortals? Did she even fit in anywhere now?

She ignored the echo of Damon's words, telling her she belonged here.

The Underworld was not her home.

But was Olympus? Was her father's domain?

The very father who had traded her away as if she were nothing…

The gods had shunned her from the beginning, accepting her presence but refusing to acknowledge her existence.

In truth, Damon was the only one who had ever truly wanted her, and even he had chosen something else in the end.

 _But he chooses you now_ , a voice in her head reminds her.

 _A little too late_ , she shouts back.

But is it?

Is it too late for she and Damon to rectify the vastness that had grown between them.

She doubted they were much good for each other, but in truth, they were not good for anyone else, either.

Could she even imagine another of the gods-blood being married to him?

Could she sleep comfortably knowing his body pleasured a wife that was not herself.

That another goddess would bear him the child he so claimed to want?

A snarl escaped her at the thought.

How cruel it was, to know that Damon would give her everything at a price she did not want, but could not stand to see paid by someone else.

Perhaps, deep down somewhere, she did still care for him.

Hold affection for him.

But in the grand scheme of things, would those shattered emotions really matter, when the end result would be the same?

Any way she looked at the situation, she had to give up something of herself.

* * *

Lost in her ponderings, Elena had barely heard the voices approach.

In fact, it wasn't until the torchlight reached her cell that she took notice of the presence at all.

"Stop," someone commanded, their voice deep and unfamiliar, "What is this?"

"A new prisoner," someone else answered.

Elena heard the metal of the cage being maneuvered; someone was opening the door.

She jumped to her feet, pleased to find that the loss of her soul had yet to affect her physical body.

"Well, well," that deep voice echoed off the walls, "I'll be damned. It's that bitch that gutted us down. Nice to see that his Majesty saw fit to have her punished."

Elena narrowed her eyes, trying to see through the darkness.

The torch illuminated the speakers face; one she discovered was familiar; a member of the guard.

She had severed his head from his shoulders the day she had stormed Damon's throne room.

It would seem they had been brought back through the veil after all.

His acquaintances, the five of them that she counted, were also ones that had been there that day, falling under her sword.

She stiffened as they filled her cell.

"What do you say we teach her a little lesson of our own?" the leader grinned harshly.

"His liege would not take kindly to us acting without his consent," another answered him, his voice smaller, "Besides, she is one of the gods-blood. Perhaps the one the trial was concerning. We should tread careful."

"Gods-blood," the leader spat, "She don't look too fierce now, without that sword of hers. Besides, I think we are owed due payment, for having sacrificed our life to her. His majesty wouldn't withhold us that."

He stepped forward, and Elena readied to fight, "What do you say, goddess? Should I take your life as you took mine?"

She hissed, showing her teeth, "You can try."

He chuckled, "Feisty. Perhaps I'll introduce you to a different kind of sword then."

His hand dropped down and her eyes followed to the erection he was now sprouting, "I might even let you live afterwards, but I will get what I am owed first."

"Go to hell," she spat, backing up as far as the cage would allow.

"Oh, I attend it's gates," he laughed, motioning for the others to step forward, "And would see you to a proper welcome."

She lunged forward to attack, but he was ready.

With barely a hit in, he had grabbed her, the others helping as she struggled against them.

Perhaps it was all the wine she had drank, or it was the loss of her soul...either way, she was not moving as quickly as she knew she was able to, and they took advantage.

No matter how she hit, kicked, or flipped, she could not shake their hands, digging harshly into her skin, ripping at the black fabric around her body.

So she did the last thing she wanted and the only thing she knew she could.

She prayed; prayed to the only god that could help her now, and hoped like hell that he would hear her.

* * *

 **Bowowwow...anyway, let me know what you thought :)**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you guys so much for all the reviews! I love reading them!**

 **A quick A/N here though:**

 **So some of you guys have noticed a negative guest reviewer, and it seems that this person has trolled on accounts before? But either way, I welcome all reviews, positive or critiquing. If someone is going to troll, that is their business and while it may be annoying, it is not going to affect the way I write my story lol. But thank you all so much for your kind words and support! It means a lot :)**

 **Second, this chapter has an extra WARNING. Trigger or otherwise.  
This is a DARK fic.  
It's a little bloody/descriptive, and if that isn't your thing...then why the heck are you reading this story? lol.**

 **Other than that, enjoy! And I'll see you at the bottom!**

* * *

For Damon, one of the cons of taking up his father's mantle were the cries of endless human souls, shouting to him in praying hopes that he might spare their lives as they laid clinging to it in death.

Prayers and worshipers he did not want, but must endure.

He heard their pleas, in the way the bodies drew breath, a constant thing that happened in the back of the mind, with little to no thought given to it.

A natural progression that was easy to ignore when he did not wish to focus on their voices; so they were quieted to a resilient hum, somewhere in the depths of his brain.

Except now, one broke through, strong, loud, and clear as the midday sky.

The prayers of gods were heard much easier than those of mere mortals, it was true, but he had no doubt the reason the screaming words burst into his consciousness and robbed him of all other thought, was because they belonged to _her_.

Elena was crying out to him, praying his name in a desperate panic that flooded his very being.

His goddess was a warrior, and nothing in the Sorrow Cells would have elicited such terror from her.

That knowledge paired with the fact that she would be too proud to cry for help without her very life being threatened, and hell, maybe not even then, made him desperate to return to her and discover what exactly it was that dared draw such a response from her.

Not wanting to waste the time it would take to travel through the caverns and down to the Cells, he summoned a portal against the wall and stepped through it.

* * *

 _The cage is open_.

That was the first thought to cross his mind as he stepped into the hall of Cells and found the one belonging to Elena with its door ajar.

Then he heard his name, screamed in her terrified voice, and all other thought abandoned him.

He was more shadow than man as he appeared at the entrance to the cage, with vision that turned crimson when his eyes gaged the happenings inside.

There were guard members. Quite a few of them, including one laying on the ground appearing unconscious, and they were attempting to keep their hold on Elena, who was struggling beneath their touch.

Two things registered in his mind simultaneously.

One, was that the beautiful black dress she had adored now hung from her body in shredded pieces, evidence of rough hands ripping at it until she was exposed, large expansions of her skin revealed, including her breasts and half of her left thigh.

The second, was that one of the guard members, the one holding onto her waist in attempts to still her, had his cock out, readying to use it on her the moment advantage allowed it.

Damon had never felt fury such as which filled him in that moment.

All the power of Hades, _his_ power, coursed through his veins and ignited his very soul to the point that flames erupted around him without thought and a shout from his lips reverberated the very cell they stood in.

The leader of the group turned just in time for Damon's hands to grab his face, ripping his jaw apart, tearing skin and bone as he breathed hellfire down to his lungs.

The Kiss of Death. The Soul Eater.

Anyone who would dare touch his Queen would meet the same deserved fate.

The others attempted to flee, dropping Elena as quickly as he had dropped their leader, as they scrambled for the cage door.

It slammed shut upon Damon's will, trapping them inside.

He descended upon them absent mercy of any kind, knowing full well what they had intended to do.

The two closest to him screamed, until he cut their voices short by ripping out their throats with burning fingers.

They fell lifeless to his feet.

The fourth, finding himself between the bars of the cage and certain death, decided to draw a sword, in hopes of fighting back.

Damon lunged down at him, his incisors sinking into the man's neck, and blood splattered the floor as chunks of flesh were ripped away with vengeful teeth.

Making quick work of his victim, Damon stood to face the one remaining, only to find his assistance needless.

Elena had picked up the fallen guard's sword and was severing the heads of both of the last standing guard and the one she had rendered unconscious before his arrival.

When all were dead, she dropped the sword, the loud clang of it muffled by the pool of blood it landed in.

"Damon," she called to him, her voice shaking as she stepped forward.

Crossing the space to meet her, Damon pulled her into his arms, cursing to himself as she trembled against his body.

He was never letting her out of his fucking sight again.

"Take me away from here," she pleaded, in a voice so small, it broke his heart.

With a kiss to her hair, he nodded and opened a portal for them to leave the Cells.

* * *

Elena felt cold.

Even knowing those bastards who had tried to…

She shivered.

Even knowing they were dead was no comfort to the ice spearing through her body.

The feeling of complete and utter defenselessness was nothing she had ever felt before, and the experience had left her shaken to the core.

For the first time in her life, she had been outnumbered, without power or weapon to aid her, and she had damn near been violated for it.

The memory of that monster's hands digging into her skin, his erection pressed against her as the heat of his breath covered her face and neck…

Gods, she wanted to vomit at the very thought of his hands upon her.

And if he had succeeded...

* * *

"Here," Damon's hand appeared in front of her, offering a cup.

She could smell the liquor inside of it and hoped it would work to balm her frenzied nerves.

She took the offering graciously, and downed the drink in a single swallow before handing the chalice back to him.

"I was being polite," Damon said, sitting next to her on the sofa, "I thought you hated whiskey?"

He had brought her to a small room, next to his bed chambers.

It was warm, with a fire pit, and had walls with books and the small comforts of chairs and lounges.

He had assured her that they would not be bothered here as he'd draped a blanket around her shoulder.

"They almost raped me, Damon," she spoke as coldly as she felt; lacking emotion, "I do not think wine is going to cut it this time."

A flicker of the anger she had witnessed on his face before returned in a quick flash, which he quickly controlled in favor of offering her comfort.

Placing his hand on top of hers, he gently squeezed her fingers, "They will pay for what they attempted, Elena. I promise you, they will."

"Good," she shivered, "They should rot in the Fields of Punishment for ever daring to…to..."

Her sentence died off as her throat tightened.

Damon hissed from beside her, "The Fields would be a kindness of which they do not deserve. I will oversee their punishment myself and let them stand as a message to the entire realm. There will not be a man, creature, or soul in my Underworld who will dare even look at you without permission, once I am finished."

"Without _your_ permission, you mean," she murmured.

Damon stiffened next to her, pulling away so he could see her face.

"What do you mean?"

With pain still clenched in her chest, she turned her eyes to his, boring into his very soul.

"Damon...tell me you did not order this; that these men did not attack me at your command."

Her voice broke upon the last word and she hated the tears that burned in her eyes.

Damon's however, remained clear and flashed with rage.

" _What_?! Of course not, Elena! What fucking reason would I have for ordering such a thing, pray tell?!"

She flinched a little, "I...I do not know. To prove a point, maybe? To be the hero-"

He threw the cup into the fireplace with a curse, causing the flames to spit with similar aggression.

"By the gods, Elena, if ever a thought even struck my mind, I would rip it out with my bare hands! I swear to you on my very soul, I would never ordered you harmed!"

"But they were your men," she spat, finding her voice with righteous anger, "They were of your guard-"

"And now they are of the dead," he snarled, "As I would have anyone who would so offend you!"

Elena dropped her head into her hands, "The offense was with myself...they overpowered me, Damon...I allowed them the upper hand, I was weak-"

"No," he growled, grabbing her arms and pulling her to her feet, "You are far from weak, my love. In full glory, you could best them, ten to one."

"In full glory," she argued, "Which you have guaranteed that I am not."

The tears were back in her eyes as she met his gaze with an icy focus, "Was it worth it, Damon? Was my soul worth _this_?"

An expression of pain reflected upon his face and she knew her remark had cut as intended.

"If I had known-" he whispered, in a voice as grave as his eyes.

"What?" she challenged with a humorless laugh, "You would not have taken it from me?"

"I would not have allowed your stubbornness to convince me to let you return to the Cells," he countered, lifting his hand to hold her chin between his thumb and forefinger, "I never would have let you from my sight."

"I am not your wife," she reminded him, "You say I am not your prisoner….yet those men would not have thought twice of me, had I not been here, in your domain."

"Those men would not have dared advance on you, had they known of my affection for you! A mistake I will not see repeated. Scorn my love all you wish, but it will protect you. Both here, and on Olympus. A warning I will secure in the blood of those guards on this very night!"

She took in his words, releasing a slow breath.

"Then I would join you."

Damon blinked at her statement, his brows furrowing, "You're sure?"

"I would see them punished in kind for ever thinking they could lay hands upon me," she said fiercely, "And regain my honor with every drop of their blood spilled."

Damon nodded in understanding as his hand moved from her chin to the back of her neck, "Then I will resurrect them from the veil as many times as it takes to see honor restored. You will have as much of their blood as you like."

* * *

Damon recognized the hunger in Elena's eyes; the bloodthirsty need to set right those who had wronged her.

Vengeance to be felt a thousand times over what they had planned to do to her, and he would see such desire properly fed.

With a few short orders, a summoning, and an irrefutable command, he had a large room cleared for their purpose, and all yet under his domain in attendance as witness.

Guard members, errant servants, daemon creatures, half breed beings, and lesser gods alike filled the room, standing along the walls, or upon the high rafters, ready to head the word of their master.

And at the center, in sight of all, were the night's spectacles, guarded by his hounds.

Once again, they breathed; but they would not remain doing so for much longer.

They were each stripped bare and bound to an "X" rack, awaiting his arrival with Elena.

Elena stood at his side now, no longer shaking, but fierce, the focus of her gaze as they entered the room on none but those whom she would soon be unleashed upon.

He had even taken the courtesy of having a few... _toys_ brought in, for her use.

Devices that had proven well over the centuries to elicit pain from those deserving.

His fingers wrapped around hers as she saw what he'd had delivered, and a pleased smile crossed her lips.

"You spare no expense," she murmured; a compliment well received.

He smiled back, before leading her to the room's open middle.

* * *

All noise of voices, hisses, and chattering alike ceased as he was noticed, until one by one, all within the room dropped to their knees before him, their heads lowered in submission.

Damon lifted his chin and released Elena's hand as he addressed his rulings, the hounds coming to stand at his side.

"What is my name?" he demanded of the congregation, and when whispered voices were all that answered, he repeated himself, "WHAT IS MY NAME?!"

" _Death_ ," the said, " _Lord_."

" _Master_."

" _King_."

He smirked as he paced the area in front of him, "It would seem that some have forgotten their Liege...and would attack a treasured guest, one of the gods-blood, absent my command!"

Hisses and screeches sounded from his loyals, until he raised his hand to silence them.

"I have always seen those deserving of it well treated, as I have always seen those whose sins demand punishment aptly dealt with as such! I _am_ just, am I not?!"

Agreement broke out from the crowd, each having known his scorn or his mercy in some form.

"Yet these men, men of _my own guard_ , who had sworn _loyalty_ , dare to place their hands upon the very goddess I would name your future Queen!"

Outraged cries answered, followed with demands of death and punishment for those who would so transgress against him.

Damon laughed deeply.

His people were as hungry for righteous violence as his goddess yet stood.

And tonight, they would all feast.

"Let us see them rightfully punished, and offenses cleansed by the shedding of their blood!"

* * *

The event was a story for the ages, as he'd known it would be.

Elena was every bit the daughter of war and brutality, as she descended upon the men who had left her feeling so powerless.

Damon had gathered many weapons and tools for her utilization, among them some of the most medieval tortures, and she put them all to use.

The Judas cradle, where she split the man in half from scrotum to navel, impaling him on the barb.

The Tongue Tearer, which she proceeded to use on more than just the man's tongue…in fact, each had their cocks removed and thrown to the hounds.

The Spiked Whip, the Crocodile Shears, the Heretic's Fork, darts, swords, saws...until she drew a simple dagger and flayed the rest alive.

And the moment the pain became too much, or their bodies could no longer take the assault, Damon would bring them back, pushing them through the veil, back into bodies that his love would then continue to mutilate.

Blood ran wet across the floor of the room, some of his more ravaging winged creatures flying high above, hoping to be allowed tastes of the scraps left behind.

And Elena...she held nothing but the awe and respect of each individual who set eyes upon her.

The punishments she dealt were accepted as worthy of a Queen of the Underworld.

The fear and admiration so clear in each of his subjects filled Damon's chest with a tight pride.

This is where Elena belonged; what she had been born for.

But he could not force her to see this, and manipulating her to do such had threatened with dire consequence.

He would see those wretched souls get what they deserve, but he also knew that there had been some truth to the words Elena had spoken before.

It was partially his fault that she had been in such a vulnerable state, all alone within his realm.

A judgement error he needed to rectify as soon as she had spilled her fill of blood.

* * *

The night grew late before Elena's arms tired and her skin drenched in a mixture of sweat and blood grew overheated and slick.

Damon had kept his word and had let her punish her would-be rapists for as long as it pleased her.

When she had finished, tossing the dagger she'd used so well back upon the table, she turned and found his eyes among all the others in the room.

They were blue fire, set ablaze with desire and bloodlust, raking through her body to her very core.

Even without her soul, she felt a form of power at the command he'd given her, the room of his domain falling down as she glanced over them, kneeling before her as they had him, showing respect to their unwilling Queen.

A respect she had never been allowed on the mountain, where other gods would see her at their heel.

But here...here she had power.

She had respect.

And she had Damon.

* * *

His stare never wavered from her face as she crossed the distance between them, a sort of fire igniting with every step she grew closer to him.

His blinding smile welcomed her once she was within reach, and his arms slid around her waist, no thought given to the blood soaking her torn clothes.

"Satisfied?" he asked, the gravel in his voice a pure undiluted sound of sexual need, one she felt quivering in the tightness of her stomach as she nodded.

"I am finished with them. Give what remains to the hound, and let us find a place to be alone."

"Whatever you wish, my Queen," he smirked a little, but this time the word did not paralyze her as it had before.

Damon let out a low whistle, and the dogs that had stood beside him, waiting so patiently for more, howled now in a victorious hunger, before charging onto the mangled, barely breathing corpses.

The crowds of witnesses were released, though some lingered in reluctance to see the bloodshed end, and Damon created a portal for her to step through.

The screams of dying men and the satisfied growls of those who would offer her submission were the last things Elena heard as she stepped through the transport.

It closed behind her and Damon, leaving only silence in its wake.

* * *

 **So no rape, but Elena did get her revenge!**

 **Brutal, brutal, revenge...lol**

 **Let me know what you thought! :)**


	10. Chapter 10

**Loved all the responses for last chapter! You guys are truly amazing!**

 **Anyway, here's something you've all been waiting for ;) Even if it did take 10 chapters to get here lol.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

There was an eerie quiet in the air, Damon noticed, as the lack of the tortured cries he'd relished for the past few hours was prominent.

But the noiselessness was welcome as the portal closed.

They were in his bed chambers now, the only place of true privacy he could think to bring her, and the room was in a soft glow of torch light which reflected off of Elena's bloodsoaked skin.

Even so tainted, she stood the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

There was a primal edge to her being tonight, that which only death could bring out in her, and he longed to taste it upon his tongue.

"What will happen now?" she asked with a quiet reserve, "To their souls?"

Her back was to him, the shredded pieces of her dress draping from over her shoulders, exposing a large portion of smooth skin, turned red with the splatter of her executions.

"I have half a mind to send them to the Pit," he growled quietly as a simmer of his earlier anger was given a breath to rise with, "Let them spend eternity in the deepest part of Tartarus."

"But-"

"But the Titans are enchained there, along with my father. Opening the Pit is too much a risk now, for souls as invaluable as theirs. Though witnessing the Gods of Old feed on their beings might be of some enjoyment."

Elena turned with a smirk, "You seemed to enjoy watching their lives end...repeatedly."

"As much as you enjoyed taking them," he retaliated, moving closer to her, "Repeatedly."

She shrugged, "I am feeling much less angry about their actions now that their bodies are no more than dog food."

"As am I," he agreed, reaching to push back a strand of her hair, "It is no less than they deserved, and I doubt anyone in the realm would dare challenge you again, after that show."

That seemed to amuse her, "This was the reason for your audience, then? To make the realm fear me?"

"To teach a lesson," he corrected, "That anyone who wrongs you will be punished, as viciously as you would like them to be, and I will not offer a word in their defense against the matter. If we were to marry, I would have this your domain as much as mine. The Underworld shall know that they will submit to you and your will as readily as they would mine, or suffer the consequences. Same as they would suffer in raising a hand against you. The sin would bare as much weight as it would if it were me they had grievanced."

Elena looked up at him through her thick lashes, her blood stained face unreadable.

"If," she murmured.

Damon's brows pulled together in question, "If?"

"You said _if_ we were to marry," she elaborated, "Don't you mean _when_? You did proclaim it a contract unbreachable."

His jaw flexed as she stared at him, captivating his heart as her gaze made the years fade away, to a simpler time, when they were able to be happy together.

"Perhaps I am willing to reconsider…"

The surprise on her face was evident, and he smiled a little, "Not what you were expecting to hear?"

She blinked at him, questions rolling through her expression until she finally decided on the one she most wanted to ask.

"I don't understand your intent," her voice was tense, almost a whisper, "You say you love me, then you manipulate your way to my soul and bargain for my hand. You would hold me trapped here because you believe Olympus to weak for me, then demand an heir from the marriage bed, only to tell me you have changed your mind? I can not follow your thoughts. Do you not wish to marry me anymore?"

Damon laughed harshly at the sentiment, "No, that is still very much something that I want."

"Then, why-"

"Because, I love you," he said, cutting through her question, "I love you, Elena."

Elena's eyes flared, her mouth tightening, and he realized that while the notion had been tossed between them, this was the first time he'd outright spoken the phrase since their parting at the Solstice.

"And I'm selfish."

He took her face in his hands, moving against her so that he could feel every quickened breath she drew.

"And I don't want to lose you again."

She swallowed thickly, parting her lips to speak, but he ran a finger over them, asking her silence.

"I want you here, with me, Elena," he allowed his thumb to stroke her skin, smearing the droplets of blood there.

The color was stark against her bronze tones.

"Since I first took my father's throne, I wanted you at my side. I knew in dim comparison to the love I held for you, I could offer you power, position...a kingdom. The place to belong that you so longed for. I wanted you here with me, but respected why you could not come...as I had hoped you would understand why I could not stay."

"You speak of the past," she sighed, "What happened then no longer matters."

"It does," Damon argued, "For the fact that it saw you turned from me. Your pride was hurt, when I denied you in favor of learning my power among my father's domain."

"No," she pressed, "It was my heart that was hurt. Broken into a million pieces when you left, not to return for so many years."

"My single regret," he admitted, and she slowly leaned her head into his palm.

The acceptance of his touch was an encouragement to finish his reasoning.

"I only ever wanted you happy," he told her, "You flourished with your training; you became everything I knew you could be...but your arrogance only hid your discontentment...your _pain_. Olympus never welcomed you as I would have...as I would still. It will never love you the way I do; want you the way that I want you."

Speared by waves of longing, Damon was unable to resist leaning down and brushing his lips against Elena's.

Lightly; a feather's touch, just to have a taste of her.

"We would be good together," he whispered, "You _know_ that. Our souls are the same. Wild beasts contained by immortal skin. We were made for darkness," he kissed her again, just as slowly, "As I was made to love you. So of course I want you as my Queen. Of course I want you as the mother to my heir...I would have you or I would have no one."

* * *

Elena knew she was breathing hard, her eyes half closed as she tried to keep to her train of thought.

There had been a point to their words, had their not?

It was so hard to tell, with Damon in such proximity; his scent mixing with that of death upon her.

"If this is what you believe," she gasped as his lips caressed across her cheek and down the length of her ear, "Why would you reconsider the advantage you have gained in Ares blood debt?"

His teeth grazed over her lobe, causing a shiver to run through her body.

God it had been so long since he'd touched her like this…

"Because, as you mentioned," he purred, "I want you as a wife. Not a prisoner. Tonight showed me the errors of my own desperation. So when we marry...when you are round with my child, it will be by your choice. I am _not_ like those men who attacked you, Elena. I am not my father. And I would never see you feel so powerless again."

She swallowed, as his mouth moved back to hers, his words brushing their lips together, "When we are together, my Queen…"

One of his hands ran across the expansion of her waist, through the torn fabric of her dress, to the bare skin beneath it.

"-when I make _love_ to you…"

Elena exhaled sharply as his fingers grazed the inside of her thigh, so close to where she needed him to be.

"-it will be with your warm…," his hand had found its destination, pressing firmly against her core.

"-wet…" a single finger moved against her most sensitive flesh, eliciting a moan from deep within her throat.

" _-willing b_ ody."

She cried out as he plunged a finger inside of her, and his mouth caught the sound as his kiss descended on her with a passion of a man restrained for years too long.

* * *

A dam broke between them, and they crashed together, their bodies falling to hot hands and desperate touch.

Years of being denied each other accumulating into a locomotive, building with steam until there was no one, mortal or god alike with the power to stop what was about to happen.

Damon kissed her as he had that very first time.

As he did the night he had left her.

He kissed her as he had the night they murdered her sister…

As if the very realm would split apart if he dared to stop.

His body pressed hers back, until they were falling; the bed rising up to meet them as Damon pushed the canopied curtains aside.

When the black cloak resettled around them, Elena felt the warmth of the enclosure.

The space was not a cage, as she had expected it to feel, but a private temple, where Damon was preparing to worship every atom of her body.

He was still so reverent of her, his very touch an offering for her pleasure.

He moved over her as if she were a holy invocation, and she found gospels spilling from his lips as he breathed words of his love for her.

She echoed his devotion in turn, rolling among his sheets until they were both naked and blood stained the black satin, as well as Damon's skin.

His tongue swallowed traces of it as he trailed it up the column of her throat, and he shuttered in response of the power.

 _Blood of the damned_ , he had called it.

But surely the only damnation to truly exist was the absence of his body inside of hers, and as his fingers found her dripping sex yet again, Elena was hard pressed to remember why she had fought this for so long.

She had taken lovers in the past, in spite and in boredom, pleasure for her body but never allowing her heart to be touched.

Damon gripped it now in full, engraving the scripture of his name upon its surface, so deeply that she wondered if she would not rip apart from the emotions she carried.

It was the love and innocence of their youth, the loyalty in eyes that bore into hers; that blue so much darker than her own brown had ever hoped to be, and that smile he wore that promised wretched things of a devil.

His stare smoldered with the desire he felt, and then he kissed her again, scorching her lips with the taste of their enemy's blood.

She was fire as he laid her onto her back, his mouth following the length of her neck, down to the swell of her breasts and the curves of her hips.

His tongue offered prayers between her thighs, the only ones she would ever see answered, and she screamed a few of her own, his name tumbling among the words; her only coherent thought.

Her hands dug into his hair; should she be surprised to find it soft against her skin?

The glossy black ink of it slivering through her fingers as she gripped the tendrils to pull him closer.

A silent beg for more.

More of what he was doing to her; more of what he could give her; more of _him_.

As if hearing her plea, Damon lifted his head, those fucking blue eyes as turmoiled as the sea they so reminded her of.

A blazing storm, ready to rain down on her in the beauty of thrashing waves and a gentle caress.

He smiled as he observed her, splayed before him like a sacrifice on his altar, and the flash of his teeth, so beautiful and deadly, peaked her need to an entirely different level.

The very hellfire he controlled burned through his veins, she was convinced of it!

How else could he stare at her with the force of the sun?

Those lips of his, slickened with her desire, would see realms to smoke with their intensity.

The light inside of him; the love and admiration shining through his gaze, burned like wildfire, threatening to obliviate her within its heat.

But oh, what a welcomed death, as he crawled back up her body, his hips falling so perfectly in the cradle of her own, as if they were forged from clay, sculpted to fit hers in absolution.

"Elena," he breathed her name into the skin of her neck as their bodies aligned.

Her legs wrapped around his waist, urging him forward, brushing the tip of him against her entrance.

They were so close to seeing this finished, to knowing each other completely, for the first time.

She wondered, if so much could be felt from his attention prior to consummation, how she would ever survive the act itself?

His fingertips set her ablaze, drawing affection she wished she could deny from what remained of her broken heart, and she could not fathom how he thought himself safe for her to love.

Surely the world would be set to ash in their wake, burned crisp from the flames of their shared passion.

But fear was removed just as quickly, when Damon's hip rolled forward, his tip sliding against her, a quarter of an inch…a half…

"Do it," she commanded him, finding assurance in the response of her body to his.

It had been too long in waiting, "And let us ignite the fucking realms."

* * *

Damon's eyes closed, slowly, as his body surged forward.

He buried himself inside of her, all the way to the hilt; sheathed entirely with the force of their connection.

Elena's head fell back as pleasure robbed her mind of anything worthy of thought.

She was no longer a goddess, trained in all matters of battle and desires, but a carnal creature, demanding one thing.

Her nails speared into Damon's back, until the scent of lust and fresh blood tainted the air, and his hips drove against her; pounding his sex into her body in a way no other lover had been capable of.

Even while fucking her, he worshiped her; his hand pulling her own forward so he could interlace her fingers with his own, pinning their clasped palms on either side of her head as he held her gaze.

With each thrust, he watched her, feasted on the clenched muscles in her face, the way her mouth fell open as he drove her higher and higher.

Gods, had she ever been so high?

Was this how Icarus had felt, before the sun consumed him?

Consumed...yes, that was the right word, wasn't it?

Damon _consumed_ her.

His presence, all over her, all around her; inside of her...it consumed and it healed and it made her long for things her rational mind would curse her for.

Yet still, she climbed higher, awaiting a fall so glorious, perhaps it would be worth it.

The edge drew nearer, the tightness of her thighs coiling as the heat in her stomach grew into a raging beast.

Any moment now, she would be launched into obliteration, but refused to do so without Damon following her in suit.

With a move of boldness, she pushed against him, flipping them in the satin, so that she now towered over him, straddling the lean curvatures of his pelvis with his sex still buried deep inside of her.

She rolled her hips, and he hissed, losing his own control as she began to ride him; his head falling back in pleasure, their climaxes building.

However, those blue orbs remained open and trained on her face, even as his body began to seize beneath her.

Damon's hands dug into her waist with enough intensity to draw pain, but she hardly noticed, as peaked as she was now.

It was too much.

The God of Death and Spring, heir to Hades, was rendered powerless beneath her, his hands upon her skin, smearing the blood of the lives they had justifiably taken all over her waist, her breasts, her stomach.

He chained her and freed her with the same touch, the respect and awe in his enamoured expression that would be her undoing.

Her climax hit her like a tidal wave, Damon's fingers burning into her flesh as he gripped her; continuing the onslaught of his own thrusts from beneath her as her face tilted up in ecstasy, crash upon crash of endless pleasure shaking through to her bones.

She knew her mouth was open, but had no idea of what sounds left it as she rode her high and saw Damon tumble after.

His own pleasure triggered by seeing her come so undone above him.

Did the gods hear their shouts of completion? Surely their voices had reached the fucking heavens.

A few more shaky surges as Damon emptied himself inside of her and exhaustion overtook her bones.

She fell onto his chest, his scorching scent overwhelming her nose with every breath she drew.

The silence that fell between them was tangible; their bodies finally stilled as the desire between them was placated.

Elena never wanted to move, speak, or even think again.

This spot, here, with Damon's arms wrapping around her, holding her against him, was where she wanted to spend eternity.

And with a cooling shiver, she realized that perhaps, she could.

She could spend every night like this, crashing sated into his arms after offering deserved punishment to tarnished souls.

She could be his.

She could be Queen.

* * *

"Elena," her name fell thickly from his lips, raspy with his own fatigue.

"I have no regrets," she assured him, closing her eyes as his chest lifted and fell beneath her, "You were right. We are good together."

"The best I've ever had," he smiled against her hair, before moving her, so that she slid onto the bedding and into the crook of his arm.

He turned then, encircling her with his larger frame, holding her tightly in his embrace.

Another moment of silence passed before he spoke again.

"I can not bear the thought of you leaving," he whispered, an ache in his words that had her eyes opening, "Yet, the choice to stay should have always been yours."

"Damon-"

He kissed her. Firmly. _Harshly_.

Before moving from her grasps, and out of the confines of the canopy curtains.

Confusion clouded her contentment...what did he mean?

Elena scrambled after him, "Damon, I don't-"

She paused after finding her feet, halted by the object Damon held in his hands.

He had gone to his desk and retrieved from it a familiar golden box.

What he pulled out of it, a pulsing blue orb of life, was the very essence of her being.

"My soul," she whispered, and he turned to her, "One of the most vital I have ever touched...and I would see it returned, to avoid future damage inflicted."

"Damon," she sighed, stepping toward him, "I don't want to discuss compromise tonight. After...after what we've just shared...can't we simply enjoy being together? No ultimatums. No thoughts of tomorrow. Just come to bed and hold me; let me hold you...there will be plenty of time to argue later."

"No," he shook his head, "You misunderstand, my love. I am annulling the contract for your soul. I ask nothing for its return."

She blinked in surprise, "Nothing?"

"Nothing you do not choose to give," he exhaled slowly, "You know where I stand on matters, what you mean to me and what I want for us. It is up for you to decide what _you_ want."

Elena eyed her soul in his hands, her hunger to see it returned was strong, but so was the softening of her heart towards him.

"You would be surrendering your biggest bargaining chip," she pointed out with hesitance.

"And in doing so, assuring you that I meant the words I spoke before. I would sooner see myself to the Pit than ever again put you in harms way for my own selfish reasons. I will not demand your submission, Elena. I wish to earn it."

His hand outstretched, a silent question paired with the offering.

Elena gave a slow nod, and braced herself.

* * *

Damon's hand pressed through her chest much slower this time, the pain lessened by careful movement as he returned that which he had taken.

Ease flooded her body as it accepted its missing piece, and she released an audible sigh when his hand pulled from her and she was left feeling entirely whole once more.

The rush of her powers once again coursing through her body brought a obvious relief, her muscles and bones falling slack in appreciation of the aid to defense.

It was funny, how she did not even realize how much of herself had felt lost, without this core fragment, centering it all.

Tears stung the corners of her eyes as she looked up glassily at her lover, "Thank you."

Damon smiled, a piercingly sorrowful twist of his lips, "It is what's right. Though soul or no soul, I still believe that you belong here, with me. I hope you can realize the same."

Elena watched him closely, studying his expression, his beautiful body, and his focused eyes that gave no clue to his true emotions.

"And...if I wished to leave?"

His expression flickered, but did not change from the mask he had set it into, "Then I would let you go."

"Just like that?"

He moved, closing the distance between them as he came to a stop in front of her.

"Just like that," he promised, a breath of air rushing from his lungs.

Elena swallowed, "And...if I wished to stay?"

His eyes flickered again, and this time the heat in his stare was notable.

"Then I will give you something that no other in all the realms has ever recieved."

She lifted a hand to his chest, the tips of her fingers dancing over the blood smeared there.

"And what might that be?"

Damon gripped her hand where it rested on him and brought it to his lips.

He placed a kiss upon her knuckles before releasing them and taking a step back.

Then he was dropping down before her.

To his knees.

His head bowed.

Elena's mouth parted slightly, as the sheer surreality of the moment rendered her unable to move anything else.

"Me," he spoke at her feet, "My word and will. My power…" he lifted his gaze back to hers, the eternal fire of his love for her shining through the blue irises, "Yours to command."

* * *

Still in a state of perpetual disbelief, Elena reached out and cupped his face, "You would bow before me?"

Her voice was airy, the incredulity obvious.

Damon smiled, leaning into her touch, "Kings bow for their Queens."

"I am not Queen yet."

"In my heart," he pressed a kiss against her wrist, "You already are."

Elena bit her lip, torn from the options before her, until finally, she sank down as well, joining him on her knees, their eyes level.

"I would see us as equals," her hands moved to his neck, brushing against the ends of his hair, "As we have always stood."

"I would have you stand as nothing else," he promised, "I wish you at my side, not under my feet."

"Nor would I have you at mine, Damon. The respect is well received, but I would not have your reputation lessened if any of your subjects-"

"Love does not make me weak," he grinned at her, "But all the more dangerous to any that would hold threat to you. As my subjects have witnessed."

"And what of the gods?" she pressed, "Of Zeus, of Hera, of my parents...if they were to see me become your Achilles heel…"

"Fuck the gods," he hissed, lunging at her so suddenly that they both tumbled backwards to the floor of his chambers.

Elena giggled as he rolled them, kissing her neck as his hips found that settled place between her own.

"Fuck what they think."

Blunt teeth grazed her tender skin.

"This is my domain. I am King. And we shall do as we like here. If I wish to have you worshiped as the goddess you are, I will see you fucking enshrined; monuments and statues built to your glory, and I _dare_ a single Olympian to say a damn word to me against it."

His lips pressed roughly to hers then, and with it, all reasonable thought as they tumbled into a heaven all their own.

A cathedral of pleasure that she was more than willing to find herself lost in for the remainder of the night.

* * *

 **Fluffy, smutty goodness :)**

 **Ya'll know the drill!**


	11. Chapter 11

**Update :)**

 **Thank you all for the reviews :)**

 **Hope you enjoy!**

* * *

Elena laid awake with nothing more than the embers of the long dying fire casting faint shadows around the canopy beds curtains.

She could feel Damon beside her, the deep intervals of his breathing had been playing as her lullaby since she'd woken up an hour ago.

She had found it too difficult to remove herself from his arms, so she had stayed, resting against him as the minutes passed by slowly, her head full of thoughts and plans.

Courses of actions that were sure to change the very essence of her being.

The more sane half of her brain wanted to lay there forever, hidden away from the world in the dark fortress of Damon's bed, but there were things she needed to do, and they were more important than enjoying the warmth of her lover's body.

 _Lover_.

She smiled a little as she sat up, thinking the word over.

Damon was her lover now.

She glanced back at him, his skin just pale enough to be made out in the darkness and her eyes devoured the sight of his bare torso.

It wasn't as if she hadn't always known he was physical perfection; she had.

But knowing how good he looked and experiencing how good he felt were too different things, and she relished in the discovery.

The night's hours had not felt long enough for her to get her fill of him.

But there would be more nights; months and years ahead of them in which to truly enjoy the physical aspects of their new...agreement.

Elena considered the conversation they'd had the night before and the way Damon had dropped to his knees before her.

The King of the Underworld; the son of Death and Spring, had bowed to _her_.

He had offered to her commandment of his domain, of his power, and all it would take to secure it would be her hand in marriage.

As much revulsion as she felt at the idea of the institution of it, she now understood the benefits in being Damon's Queen.

Spending every night like the one before, waking up in his arms, having a place where she could truly be herself…and a title with the leverage she would need to secure her future.

The power it promised was appealing.

And though belonging to Damon in such a claimed way went against her very nature, she felt she could trust him not to change the rules of their status once the marriage ceremony was complete.

After all, he had given her her soul back, hadn't he?

Proof that it was not ownership he wanted, but a partnership with promises of blood and retribution.

And it would start this very day.

* * *

Elena sighed deeply, pulling herself from the bed with a final glance Damon's way.

It would be best to leave him sleeping, she decided.

If she woke him to tell him of her plans, he might assume she was asking for permission, which was something she most certainly did not need, from him or anyone else.

Especially with the course of action currently on her mind.

* * *

The waves of the Black Sea turmoiled with a distant storm, sloshing wetly onto the shoreline, as Elena walked the length of the sand, toward her father's villa; her home, until now.

As she passed the crumbling stones, she bit down on her tongue.

It felt heavy, weighted with all the words she'd wanted to scream out for years.

The grand doorway was open, the seabreeze flowing through the entry hall almost peacefully.

But she knew better than to think that Ares knew a damn thing about peace.

Her bare feet were soundless as she blurred through the hall, passing servants on her way to the staircase.

Their eyes trailed after her and she wondered how long it would take for one of them to inform her father that she was present.

Not that it mattered.

That was what she had come for, among other things.

Her bedroom was the same as she'd left it, a room untouched, and she quickly found a change of clothes.

Once she had secured her skin in a leather armored gown and thrown on her favorite pair of worn boots, she tossed some extra things into a bag to take with her.

Then she went to the far side of her room, where a large chest laid waiting.

She ran her hand over the weather worn wood, before unlocking the latch.

Her choice weapons gleamed up at her, and she took only a short moment to admire the assemble before strapping the twin dagger sheaths to her legs and sliding her sword into a holster down the mid of her back.

By the time she had finished gearing herself and packing anything else of value that she possessed, she could hear commotion from the landing on the first floor of the villa.

Ares must have realized he had a guest.

Elena braced herself before leaving her room for what felt like the last time, and started toward the stairs.

* * *

Sure enough, her father was waiting for her below, a few of his soldiers with him, all were heavily muscled demi-gods with weapons hanging from their sides.

"Elena," Ares spoke first, the air cracking with the bass of his voice, "I did not expect to hear of your return."

She scoffed a little, "Why would you have? Given that you sold me to the Underworld."

The thick muscles of her father's shoulders rolled.

"Leave us," he told the others.

They obeyed without question, exiting the room through the long hall.

Elena watched them go as Ares took a step forward.

Even though she still stood on the stairs bottom step, he towered over her.

"I paid what was asked to balance my debt to Hades. It was not personal, you understand that."

Having nothing left to fear, Elena did not cower from his sharp eyes.

They were grey, she noted, like gunmetal, and just as deadly.

Only, she could no longer die, and somehow that knowledge made her feel taller than him.

Stronger than him.

"All is fair in love and war, right?" the mortal phrase fell from her lips with sarcasm, "If the ends justify the means, then what does one soul matter?"

Ares sighed, "Yes, Elena, it was means to an end. Your actions would have had the others of the Twelve breathing hellfire down your neck if you did not notice, and Damon's offer-"

"I'm supposed to believe you did this for _me_?" She laughed humorlessly, "You sold me into a marriage without so much as asking my opinion of it. Or of Damon for that matter."

"If I thought he would ever hurt you, I-"

"-would have made the deal anyway."

"Elena," he scolded.

She stepped down off the step, the heel of her boot clanking against the marble floor.

"It's true, is it not?" she challenged, "My entire life you have raised me to be your weapon, to fight with you in your wars. You punished and trained and taught me to be what you wanted. I never had a chance to be anything else. Then you pawn me off the moment it best suited you. As if I was nothing more than another soldier for you to command; as if I was not of your blood!"

Her father's lip drew up in a tight snarl, a clear sign that he did not appreciate the accusations she was throwing at him, "Better for you to be Queen than to be dead, which is what you would have been if left to the mercy of the council."

"Mercy," she murmured, "Funny that you should speak the word, for it is what I offer you now, Father. My mercy."

As his brows furrowed, she smiled, confidence growing in her chest at her new position.

"You always told me that love would make me weak," she lifted her chin, "That having my mother's heart would be the death of me. But you were wrong, and you were blind, and you made a grave mistake because of it."

"What are you speaking of?" he growled, and she faced him head on, taking the opening to her point.

"I speak of love," she told him, "And how you have always failed to understand the power of it."

"Power in love," he huffed, "It is but a mere emotion. Lust and desire that distracts from true purpose. A weakness to overcome."

"Something I always believed, because of you," she told him, as memories of her night with Damon filled her mind, "But you were wrong. There is power in it, and not understanding that will be your downfall."

His mouth twitched again, but he humored her, "Oh, it will? How so, pray tell?"

Elena smiled a little, before dropping into a dark chair that rested against the wall closest to them, "Well, Father, it is like you said. In war, everything is a means to an end. The formation of an outcome. You never look any deeper than what the outcome might mean. Which is why it never crossed your mind why Damon might want to marry me."

Ares blinked at that, and she realized with a jolt that he actually hadn't considered the why of it.

"He wanted you protected," he muttered feebily.

"Because he _loves_ me," she pressed, "The reason he asked for my hand, the reason he defended me against the council, the reason he wants me as his Queen. He is in love with me."

"Then he is a fool," Ares spat and Elena smirked.

"Perhaps. Or perhaps you are the fool, Father. For underestimating the half of me that you tried so hard to train out. And now...you will pay for it."

Ares teeth flashed in anger, "Do not play with me, girl."

"This is no game," she assured him, "It is a compromise."

"A compromise," he repeated heatedly, "In what way?"

Elena exhaled and spoke her ultimatum to life, knowing it was now or never.

"You are going to surrender the domain of War to me," she said, with absolute certainty.

* * *

Her father stared at her for a moment, then laughed; a hard, deep sound that echoed from the ceiling.

"You can take life with ease, my daughter, but you could never best me," he gloated, "And if you want _my_ domain, you'd have to kill me first!"

"Yes, Father," she agreed, "If I wanted the domain by force, I would have to send you through the veil. And," she sat up a little straighter, holding his gaze, "you've sold me to the one god who can make that possible."

She smiled slowly as the humor left his face, realization dawning in his features.

"...Damon would never-"

"Damon will do anything I ask of him, because of that weak emotion you do not believe in," she stated proudly, "Because of love, he gives me the power over his domain, to act as his word and his will, in whatever way I see fit. And I see fit to add your domain to our kingdom."

Pure violent rage rolled through Ares body and he reached for her, his thick hand closing around her throat, lifting her from the chair and slamming her body back against the wall, "You arrogant child!"

"Are you really...going...to kill...the Queen...of...the Underworld?" she gasped out from beneath his hold.

His expression darkened, "You are not Queen yet, daughter."

But his grip loosened slightly.

"I am to him," she breathed, "And I don't believe you would want the god of death seeking you out for retribution."

Her father cursed lowly and dropped her.

She landed on her feet, but sucked air down her lungs before speaking.

"War," she repeated raspy, "The entire domain of it. You will contract it over to me as your heir, and I will allow you to live. Those are my terms."

"That is hardly a compromise," he hissed.

"Yet it is more than the one you gave me," she told him coldly, drawing herself up to full height, "So you will come to the Underworld tomorrow. Damon will have you sign the contract in gods-blood."

Ares' head shook, but there was defeat in those grey eyes, which were now gazing into hers as if for the first time.

"Perhaps there is some of your mother in you after all," he spat, then disappeared from the room, leaving her alone.

* * *

The gathering storm seemed to follow Elena all the way to Olympus, as the mountain's clouds were murky and dark, the sun hidden away behind the thick collection.

Wind blew across the cobblestone and the vegetation had lost all blossoms, the green vines curling in upon itself as if hiding from what was to come.

Elena paid the crackling sky little mind as she made her way through the streets, up marble stairs to the place her mother resided.

She passed creatures along her path, a few nymphs, half mortal servants, even a god or two.

They all dropped their eyes as she passed, hurrying out of her way, but the urgency did not feel the same as it had before.

Perhaps because their gazes did not avoid her with disgust or disdain, but with fear.

The entire gods-realm had heard of her trial, she was sure, and how she had escaped death for the simple fact that she belonged to him.

And just as it was with her father, their fear of Damon fed their fear of her.

Her lips parted in a harsh smile as she crossed over into her mother's abode.

* * *

It was as quaint as it ever was, the white stone walls, the tall columns, the beautiful greenery of the gardens with the whispering ivory curtains blowing with the wind.

The open layout on the mountains edge lured and romanced in an enticing way, much like the goddess that it belonged to.

"Mother," Elena called, knowing Aphrodite would hear her.

Sure enough, the lyrical voice traveled from the bed chamber, "Elena?"

Elena moved in the direction of her name and pushed through the curtains into the large bedroom.

Her mother sat upon the bed, half dressed, with a demi god who appeared entranced.

Elena's brow arched at the sight, and Aphrodite hurried to cover herself.

"You are not supposed to be here," she hissed, and Elena motioned to the would-be-lover, "Neither is he, I'm sure."

Her mother's eyes flashed, before she spoke to the male in a rushed whisper, then shooed him from the room.

"Hephaestus has changed a lot since the last time I laid eyes upon him," Elena couldn't help but goad, and Aphrodite grit her teeth, "Do not take that tone with me, child."

Letting the obvious infidelity slip, she redirected the conversation, "I did not mean to interrupt your trysts. I just wanted to speak with you."

"Speak?" her mother hissed, drawing a robe from the closet across the room to wrap around herself, "The last time you came to me for conversation, you left to murder your sister."

"A half mortal," Elena reminded her, "Whose name you barely knew. She was not worthy of your blood."

"Nor are you," Aphrodite spat, "So long as the hatred of your father's so overshadows it!"

She sighed, "Do not make this about Ares. This is not about him."

"Then what is it about?" the goddess demanded, "Why are you here?"

Elena let the answer fall heavy between them.

In truth, she had come to see her mother. She had come to say goodbye.

"I am going to marry Damon," she said quietly.

It was all she needed to say.

Her mother paused, her mouth still half open in question, but it closed slowly.

"...Ares' contract," Aphrodite swallowed, "Oh, how you've angered me gravely, my daughter, but still...I never wished this for you."

"My father is paying for the careless way he bartered my soul, but it is of no concern now. Damon loves me, Mother...and I will be his Queen."

Aphrodite stared at her, the resentment fading into concern.

"You sound content."

"I no longer have disagreements with the arrangement," Elena admitted, "The Underworld is where I belong."

"It is not," Aphrodite argued, "You belonged here. With me. Before your father stained you with his violent ways…"

"It is not what he did," Elena insisted, "It is who I am, Mother. Can you not see that? Even still? I am the product of you both. I am a contradiction. The love and violence are both a part of me. It was never something for me to choose."

"But you did choose," her mother whispered, the air around them growing colder with the darkening sky, "You chose to train...you chose blood and killing over-"

"Over pretending that I had no desire for it," Elena finished, "I could not hide away any longer, Mother. You could not accept the parts of me that were my father, as he could not accept the parts of me that sprang from your blood, but both existed! I was never going to be what either of you wanted...but the Underworld is a domain where I can be who I am. So that is what I chose, Mother. I choose Damon. I choose Hades."

Aphrodite's head shook, her eyes sad, "He is not the boy he was, my child. He is something dark now. Dangerous. He will destroy you."

"He _saved_ me," Elena argued, "When it was your council who would have seen me killed."

"The council only wanted an explanation-"

" _You_ wanted an explanation," Elena corrected, "The council wanted blood. The rest of the Twelve hate me. They always have, and you know it. And perhaps you would too, if you were capable...I am your greatest shame."

"No," Aphrodite stepped forward then, breaking the space between them to take Elena's face into her palms, "No, my daughter, you were my greatest love. My first creation...it broke my heart to see you become this."

Elena felt the corners of her eyes prick, and pushed away the touch, "But this is what I am, Mother. And I will use what you hate about me to rule at Damon's side. Where he accepts every part of me; loves every part of me."

Dark eyes, identical to her own stared into the depths of her soul, "And do you love him, Elena?"

"I don't know," she admitted softly, knowing her mother would trace any lie from her tongue, "But I do know that I am happy with him; I always have been. I know that his body calls to me stronger than any other. I know that out of an entire kingdom, he bows only to me and that with him, I will have everything I have ever wanted."

Lost in her own memories now, Elena recalled those blue eyes drowning her, the devotion and passion radiating through her entire being, clenching her chest as she gave herself up to the one man who had ever touched her heart.

"I do not know if that is love," she whispered, "but I know that either way, it is too late now. He has held my soul, Mother, and I think a part of it will alway belong to him. And that...that no longer frightens me. It is where I am meant to be."

"And if you are wrong?" Aphrodite challenged.

"She is not," another voice answered, calling both of the goddess's attention.

* * *

Elena turned to see Persephone herself, walking toward them, the pale green gown she adorned wrapping around her body in a way fit for her royal status.

Aphrodite straightened at the sight of the intruder, her tone growing crisp, "Daughter of Spring. To what do I owe the _pleasure_?"

The word dripped with false civility.

Persephone smiled coldly, something dark swirling in her blue eyes, "Not a thing. Pardon my intrusion, but one of my servants had just informed me of Elena's presence on Olympus. I suppose I wanted to be sure you had not made yet another attempt on her life."

Elena blinked in surprise at the gesture, "You're here because of me?"

Persephone's gaze moved to her and softened noticeably, "Yes, child. My son cares for you and I would not see any more deeds of injustice passed over you."

"What do you know of what is just, Queen of Darkness?" Aphrodite stepped forward, "And how dare you insinuate that I would attempt harm on-"

"You have attempted her harm for years with your callousness toward the way your offspring has been treated," Persephone cut, her lips tightening, "Not to mention the council you recently sat upon in my son's throne room."

Feeling the tension between the two deities, Elena slowly stepped between them, facing Damon's mother, "Your gesture is kind, but I assure you, I am in no danger here."

Persephone eyed the sword hilt that flashed from between her shoulder blades and grinned, "No. I suppose you are not...and I can sense that you are whole once again. Damon has returned your soul?"

Elena nodded, "He has."

"Good. You will need it," her attention flickered back to Aphrodite, "Now, perhaps, more than ever."

There was a hiss from the goddess in response, "You wish to stand as a judge to me?"

Persephone merely smirked, "How fares your husband, Aphrodite? Do you even know?"

"How fares _yours,_ Bride of Hades?" she returned harshly.

"Mother," Elena warned.

"No, it is quite alright," Persephone assured her, still smiling, "And to answer your question, goddess of love, my husband burns in the prison my son locked him away in. Curious thing about Damon, he has quite the taste for punishment...I would hate to see how he would respond to his new bride being threatened."

"I have not threatened her," Aphrodite snarled.

"You do not listen to her, either," Persephone noted, moving forward a little so that she stood next to Elena, "Perhaps that is a threat within itself. Your daughter speaks truths you do not wish to hear, but they are true nonetheless. She was not fit to waste away at your feet, nor be diminished and used under Ares' sword. She belongs to my domain now, and we will see her to a freedom that Olympus has forever denied her."

Aphrodite crossed the space between them, the smell of the ocean breeze following in the air around her, "She is not your daughter. Not your concern!"

"She is to marry my son," Persephone arched a brow, "Become Queen in my stead. That makes her more my concern than yours."

Aphrodite shook her head, then looked over to her daughter, "Elena-"

Her words were a plea, but Elena knew Persephone was right.

There was only one place for her now.

"Goodbye, Mother," she whispered with finality.

* * *

Something changed in the air then.

A tether being snapped as she parted with those words.

And though she had entered the domain alone, with final hesitance upon her mind, she left it with a secured choice, and the Queen of the Underworld at her side.

"Come with me child," Persephone smiled, taking her hand, "It is time to go home."

 _Home._

* * *

 **Review :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Long update for you guys! :)**

* * *

The entrance to the river Styx was less intimidating upon her arrival, this time around, Elena noted, as Cerberus moved aside and the ferryman lowered his head in an honored submission.

Whether the respect was to her or to the Queen at her side, she was not sure, but accepted the gesture nonetheless.

"Damon will be upon the throne by now," Persephone spoke simply, taking a seat on the boat and patting the space next to her, "We will join him there."

Elena sat where she'd indicated, watching the goddess with the same curious expression she'd held since leaving Olympus.

Persephone smiled, "You are filled with questions, child."

The fact was impossible to deny, so Elena gave voice to her inquiries.

"What you said to my mother...did you-"

"I mean every word," Persephone nodded solemnly, "You are of Hades now, and will be treated with that respect for as long as you are at Damon's side."

"You would approve me for him?" she questioned, "When you hardly know me?"

"I know enough," she reassured her, "I know that there is fire in your veins, daughter of war, and though the stubborn pride of your heritage is apparent, I have seen your eyes upon my son. I know the love you held for him and he for you, and I believe that if it is given the chance to flourish, the two of you can rise to greatness that surpasses either of your lineage. I want that for Damon, for this realm."

Persephone's expression faltered a little as the river curved and she stared out at the dark waves that lapped the side of the boat.

Elena bit her lip, unsure if it was wise to press her point.

When the goddess' eyes returned to hers, she decided to ask a different question instead.

"My mother was cold to you, even before confrontation," she recalled, "I was unaware that there was a history between you."

"History," Persephone smiled a little at the word, "I suppose you could call it that."

"What happened?"

The Queen was silent for a moment, as if choosing how to phrase her words, and her pensive expression was one that Elena had noticed before on Damon's face.

Finally, she spoke, "Aphrodite is indisputably beautiful, a fact she is well aware of. Her power stems from her beauty and she is not accustomed to having it challenged. But when I came of the age that I drew the gods attention, your father, Ares, was among my suitors….you can imagine how well your mother accepted that."

Elena blinked in surprise, having never heard this version of events.

As long as she had known him, her father had never been interested in taking a bride.

"Her jealousy is legend," Persephone continued, "And I suppose she thought it best to take my maidenhood from her concern."

Elena swallowed slowly, "How do you mean?"

"It was by her doing that Hades found himself so _infatuated_ with me," Persephone said scornfully, "He believed his obsession was mother's power had stained his heart, so he took what he desired and I had no say in the matter...which is of course why I could not agree with Damon's method of acquiring you. Whatever his intentions."

Elena shook her head, "Damon is not as his father was. He loves me _against_ my mother's wish, not because of it."

"I know that," Persephone smirked, "And I can not deny that it gives me satisfaction, knowing that your union to my son will trouble her so. It is what she deserves."

* * *

Elena couldn't help but think that the goddess was probably right, and understood the vengeful desire that burned in her gaze.

The gods of Olympus were selfish creatures, doing as they pleased to their own benefits.

Perhaps she was molded in a similar fashion, and would find the fated end she deserved as well...or perhaps she would be the reckoning they all so needed.

Only time could truly tell, and they had that. Plenty of it.

For now, she was more concerned by the distant stare that had once again clouded the Queen's gaze.

Thoughts of all she must have endured, through her abduction and indoctrination to the Underworld, made Elena soften toward the goddess, and made her wonder how different her own experience might have been, if Damon had been more like his father.

He was stubborn and manipulative, impressive and focused...but he was also empathetic; kind to her, and he loved her.

Truly.

Not the weak influence of her mother's works, but real emotions.

Ones that she had sworn to him that she would never return.

* * *

Elena frowned, then found herself asking, "Did you ever love him?"

When Persephone glanced back to her, she elaborated, "Hades, I mean…was there ever a time..."

Something flickered across those blue eyes, as the Queen's lips curved ever so slightly.

"You ask if the sun rises and if the ocean churns," she stated simply, "Some things, I suppose, are an inevitability, no matter how much we deny it."

"So you did?" Elena's frown grew, "You fell in love with him, even after everything he'd done?"

"No," Persephone corrected, "There was too much between us, I believe, for me to ever give him my heart in that way...but you did not ask if I fell for him. You asked if I loved him. And in a way, I did. We were together too long for me not to feel something."

"But," Elena crooked her head in frustration, "I do not understand."

Again, the goddess smiled, "No, you wouldn't, I suppose. For all your skills, my child, the innocence of your youth is still upon you, and matters of the heart can be quite complex. So let me say this, we are all destined for something in our existence, fated in a way we can never understand...when that fate is presented to you, you can fight it and be destroyed by it, or you can embrace it and let it lead your path."

She sighed deeply, "I could not change what had happened to me. I was powerless to stop my fate. But I found my strength in ways I never thought possible. Though dark days tortured me and nights forced me to Hades bed, I was not a victim to the realm. I was Queen. Mother of Hades son, whom I loved against all reason, and there was power in the position I held. There was power in my husband's devotion to me. Once I learned to use it, he was no longer a threat to fear, but a weapon to wield...something you have already discovered, it would seem, if what I hear of Ares is true."

Elena straightened as the boat pulled to the end of the cavern, stopping at the riverbank for them to exit.

She waited until her feet were firmly on the ground before addressing the accusation, "How do you know of it?"

"Perks of being Queen," Persephone winked, "You have eyes and ears everywhere. But do not worry, child. I commend your resolve and quite agree with the path you have chosen. As I said, I believe you will help Damon rise to levels untouched, and your ferocity is needed here in this realm, if it is to flourish to its potential."

"Do you think Damon will agree? I did not tell him what I planned before confronting Ares," she admitted, a little sheepishly.

Persephone chuckled quietly, "I think, like his father, Damon's fidelity takes precedence over all else. Hades may have been a monster, but he was a faithful one. Damon favors him, in that regard. He loves recklessly and you will either be the best thing for him, or the worst if you take that loyalty for granted and betray him."

Elena steeled against the hinted accusation, "I have made my decision and I will stand by that choice. I am not my mother. Damon made his offer of devotion and when I concede to be his bride, I will _honor_ my vows. The commitment is not something I take lightly."

"Given you heritage," Persephone appraised, "I can see why you wouldn't...but I can also see that your emotions toward my son are dim in comparison to the ones he holds for you. He has only ever loved you, while your own reputation is hardly short listed, so you can see where my concern stems."

Elena nodded, understanding perfectly, "Reputations can be deceiving. I have enjoyed carnal pleasures, it's true, but tongues of Olympus spread more rumor than truths on the matter. I simply let them talk."

She shrugged, "However, in terms of this arrangement, what I may or may not have done in the past does not affect my loyalty to Damon. He broke my heart once and I can not change the part of me that holds him at bay, but I do care for him. And while I may not ever love him as I once did in our youth, you can trust that I would never subject a child of mine blood to the same upbringing I suffered by risking impregnation of a bastard while married to another."

She held Persephone's gaze with purpose, "When I become Damon's bride, it will be to the forsaken of all others."

The Goddess of Spring eyed her steadily for a moment, before once more letting her lips part in a grin.

"That is all I needed to hear," she reached out for Elena's hand, which she hesitantly gave, "I will hold you to your promise, child, and offer you counsel in this new position. Now come...your King awaits."

* * *

Death was inevitable for mortals, and sometimes, even for gods.

Damon knew this better than any, having passed so many souls through the veil to their eternity of judgement or peace.

He was their keeper, the decider of their fates, and he relished in the power.

For years, he devoured the sounds of their cries and pleas as a sustainable force that sated his bloodlust.

It amused him, to watch the way those who once stood as towers over their people crumbled into begging messes at his feet, kissing the gems of his robes and rings, offering servitudes and pleasures abound for his leniency.

Sometimes, he indulged them, but the sentence passed was always fair.

Deserved.

However, on this day, as he sat upon his throne waving the weight of souls through the veil, he cared little for their offers or their cries of mercy.

His mind was far removed from the task at hand, lingering instead, on the empty bed he'd awoken to.

The Underworld was vast, but he knew in the depths of his soul that Elena was not hiding away in it.

She had left the realm while he slept, and he had given her the freedom to do so.

His heart yearned to go after her, to hunt her down and drag her back, but he could not.

The choice to stay had been hers to make, and she had chosen Olympus.

Even after their night together...gods, he didn't think he'd ever forget the feel of her body against him...

To curve his pain and rage, he'd visited the souls of the guards that had attempted to hurt her.

They were so flayed, mangled, and chewed, it was hard to reassemble them at first.

But he'd taken a moment of patience to do so, and it had been worth it.

It was rare of late that he handled punishments personally, but these souls in particular had been given his special attention.

He had released all of his emotions and pain with their blood, and had killed them, again and again, until he felt hollow and cold.

Then he'd brought them back, a final time, as an offering to the goddess of the Styx.

She prefered festered beings and it brought him a perverse joy to imagine her feasting slowly on the drowning souls of those who would harm his love.

That revenge would have to be comfort enough to get him through-

* * *

The far door of his alter room opened, and his guard straightened near the line of souls to prevent any attempted escape.

His mother caught his notice first, and he barely had time to wonder at her presence before he noticed the goddess behind her.

 _Elena_.

His chest seized with relief that was almost tangible and he found himself standing before he'd even realized his body was moving.

The flames of his throne diminished as his mother reached the foot of it and Elena lingered behind her.

A short bow from the Queen, and she took the first few steps, the guard pulling souls away from her dress hem.

"Mother," Damon addressed, though his eyes were flickering to the woman behind her.

"I will resume the sentences for now," she spoke as she greeted him with a kiss upon his cheek, "You can send them through after you have spoken to your betrothed."

He nodded slowly, understanding her intent, "Gratitude."

Her hand squeezed his and she walked past to sit upon the mantle as he descended the stairs.

Elena's eyes were on him as he came toward her, and the gaze held nothing he had expected to see.

No resentment or fear or longing to escape. Nothing to suggest his mother had forced her return.

In fact, she was smiling.

Something inside of him eased, and as soon as she was within reach, he pulled her to him, kissing her soundly on the lips.

And instead of fighting him off, as he'd half thought she might, Elena positively melted into his embrace, returning the kiss with a fiery intent.

He broke apart, and rested his forehead against hers, "You were gone."

"I stepped out momentarily," she corrected, taking his hand, "And now I have returned...with information, might I add."

Damon pulled away to stare at her, "Information?"

She nodded, then glanced around, "Can we speak in private?"

He noted the guard, the souls, and the servants, and agreed with her disposition, "This way."

Still holding onto her hand, he led her through the throne room and down a cavern until they were secluded enough for him to summon a portal to his bed chambers.

* * *

When they stepped through, Elena was smiling, "Why am I not surprised that this is where you would bring me?"

He smirked, grabbing her hips, "It is the most private place in the entire Underworld, my love. Quite removed. Secluded."

Her breathing deepened as she moved closer, pressing herself flush against him, "So I remember…"

Damon groaned when Elena's palms shot to his neck, pulling his mouth back down as her nails speared him.

Now that they had the privacy of his room, he let his hands roam, reacquainting himself with her every curve, until his fingers were slipping through the fabric of her dress and gripping the back of her thighs.

He hoisted her up into his arms, her legs wrapping around his waist like they were made exactly for it, and somehow they were stumbling back toward the large bed, the curtains falling closed as he pushed through them, truly separating them from the outside world.

Elena giggled a little as he broke the kiss and leaned away to readjust them.

"Not the worst way to be welcomed home," she teased him, and he couldn't help but grin.

"It's less of a welcome and more relief that you returned at all," he admitted, trailing a finger down her cheek, "When I woke up to find you gone…"

Her smile faltered, "Oh...apologies. It was not my intent to have you worried."

He had already forgiven her, "You said you stepped out?"

She nodded, and pressed against his chest.

He moved so she could sit up, and sighed deeply when she used the leverage to straddle his hips, planting herself firmly in his lap.

His hands locked around her waist and through the slit fabric of her dress, he was surprised to see faded burns.

In the shape of his fingers.

Perhaps he had been a little too engrossed in their coupling the night before, to the point that he had not even realized he'd left a mark upon her.

The reminder of their passionate tryst made him want her all over again.

"I went to see my parents."

His mind left the distraction of her body at those words, his gaze shooting to hers, "Your parents? To what purpose?"

She hesitated with her answer, and her bottom lip got caught between her teeth.

"Elena?" he pressed.

"You told me I was free to act as your word and will, correct?"

He tilted his head back, staring at her, "I did."

"Freedom to rule in your domain?" she continued.

Damon could not tell where she was going with her point, "Yes, of course."

"Then you can not be angered by what I chose to do."

Angered?

He frowned, "What is it that you have done?"

"I have secured us the domain of war, to be added to your kingdom within a fortnight."

She watched him expectedly, as if expecting a rebuff, but he wasn't sure what her words were implying.

"The domain of war?" he repeated, "Your father's domain?"

She nodded.

"I see...and how exactly did you secure that, might I ask?"

The hint of a smirk teased the corners of her mouth, "I may have pointed out that he betrothed me to the only god that could ensure his death, and in return for assurance of his safety, he's agreed to contract the domain to his heir. Namely...me."

Damon could only blink, not sure if he was more shocked or impressed by the boldness of her actions.

"So…" she prompted after a moment of silence, shifting almost nervously in his lap, "Are you angry?"

Damon fell back onto his bed and laughed.

He laughed until Elena shook above him and then pulled her down to kiss his smiling lips.

"You were _so_ made for this," he praised between kisses, until she was smiling right back, basking in his acceptance.

Her mouth lingered above his as she murmured, "I suppose it best to make it official then. When should we hold the ceremony?"

Damon kissed her once more, before allowing her to sit up.

She stared down at him expectantly and he crooked his head, "You want to go through with it? The marriage, the ascension? You would tether yourself forever to me and the Underworld?"

Elena's fingertips brushed under his eyes and trailed down to his lips, "If it is you or another, the nuisances of the ceremony are still the same...the requirements of matrimony do not differ. At least here, I know I will be treated fairly, and you aren't the worst company in the world," she rolled her hips over him, earning a sharp hiss which made her smile, "It is hardly a chore to share your bed."

Despite the fact that his body screamed for hers, Damon forced himself to stay focused, and sat up so that she was once again in his lap.

"Pros and cons," he murmured, "with a justified balance."

Elena nodded, her arms wrapping around his neck, "You are all about the compromise, are you not? I have considered what you offered and found it favorable. To gain these advantages, you would have my hand, and if the price demanded is marriage, then that is what I offer you."

"And the rest that I would have of you," he challenged, "The other _demands_ we discussed."

He watched her expression change to one of slightly less enthusiasm, "You know my standing on the matter."

Of course he did.

"And yet you want me to agree to a marriage with no heir and one sided affection?" he asked her.

Elena's brown eyes flashed, "Was it not you who first made the suggestion of the ceremony? I am simply giving you what you desire."

"Perhaps I was wrong before...perhaps I have changed my mind," he taunted her, enjoying the look of disgruntlement she gave him.

"Damon, this is not a game. You have already stated your terms, and-"

"And I told you that we would not have a loveless marriage," he reminded her, tightening his grip on her waist, "And after last night, I have see what potential we could yet have."

Elena shook her head angrily, leaning away from him, "I have agreed to give you my hand and to share your bed as you desire...and now you say that it is not enough?!"

He released one of her hips to take her chin between his fingers, forcing her eyes to his, "You have always been enough, my sweet, but if we are going forward with this arrangement, I would have all of you. Heart included."

* * *

Elena could not believe that now, after all the trouble he'd gone through to gain her willingness, that Damon would adjust his terms.

She was agreeing to marry him, the very thing he had wanted, and yet now he demanded her love as well?

Her head shook again, fury twisting her stomach.

Loving him was not part of the plan.

She enjoyed him, yes, cared for him even...but love?

To give in to the very last thing she held over him, to surrender her heart to the only one with the power to break it?

That went beyond compromise.

Sex, she could give him all day and night, the physical act removed from her emotions.

Marriage even, she was willing to offer him, despite her disdain of it, because the commitment and fidelity of it was a thing of honor and duty, not emotion.

But love.

She shivered as Damon's hold on her tightened, drawing her gaze to his.

Those ocean eyes were waiting with anticipation, nothing to reveal their insecurity.

Damon knew the power he could give her, had been promising it to her from the beginning, and no doubt he could sense in her willingness how badly she wanted to secure it.

But her heart was too steep a price to pay.

It would be the end of her.

The deepest part of her wanted to try her powers against him again, try to dissuade his resolve to her favor, but she knew that he would figure out what she was doing and be able to stop her once again.

The downfall of actual love; it was stronger than the lustful influence she could wield, and while it chained Damon to her, it also freed him from the complete sway of her abilities.

But what else could she do?

Tell him no?

Then where would they stand? And with the ultimatum she had given her father, it wasn't as if she could return to the surface realm to reside…

Which left her only one option.

The inconceivable third choice that went against her very nature, yet might be the only means to secure what she desired.

* * *

"You want my heart, before marriage," she verified, watching Damon's expression carefully.

"Would it be such a chore to love me?" he questioned, only a hint of uncertainty in the words, "Something not long ago you were able to do freely…"

Elena sighed, "Many moons passed. We have both changed since then...and I would counter your offer."

He smirked a little, "You have something else of favor to give me that would change my mind?"

Elena dropped her eyes, unable to look into his when the words left her.

"I'll give you your heir. Willingly."

Damon froze beneath her and she knew she had surprised him.

She risked a glance up, and found his eyes slightly narrowed.

"If this is some kind of game-"

"No games," she assured him, "A compromise. You get what you want. I get what I want."

He swallowed thickly, and his stare moved to her stomach, as if he were imagining the child that might grow there.

When the silence stretched, Elena pressed him, "Well? Is that offer favorable enough?"

Damon's attention did not leave her stomach, and his hand dropped to it, his fingers spanning out across the space, warm and sure.

"No tricks," he confirmed.

"No tricks."

His eyes jumped back to hers, "How soon?"

"As soon as you want," she promised, "I will let you take my body as much as is needed to make it so...but my heart and it's affection are no longer variables to the arrangement. Deal?"

She watched the war rage in his eyes, both sides arguing against what he wanted most.

Until something resolved within the blue pools and he smiled.

Quickly, before she could catch herself, Damon flipped them, pinning her body beneath all his delicious warmth.

"I will make you Queen," he breathed, trailing his lips over the skin of her neck, "Give you freedom and power over the realms, and you will carry the future of the Underworld with our child. I will not demand your love, but will accept it upon the day you are ready to give it," his nose brushed hers teasingly, "This is satisfactory?"

Elena melted into him, her eyes swallowing his, though she couldn't help but ask, "And if such day never comes?"

Damon's gaze never faltered, "Then I will have to love you enough for the both of us."

His mouth fell onto hers once more, sealing their promises and their future.

And though the arrangement was not exactly what she had hoped, Elena decided then that there were worse fates than being loved so entirely by a being who hated all else.

* * *

 **Hope you guys enjoyed ;)**


	13. Chapter 13

**I hear wedding bells ;)**

 **Enjoy this chapter guys!**

* * *

Elena stood on the cliffs edge, watching the graying skies above her.

She had never thought this day would come.

Not for her.

And yet, here it was, as surely as the waves beneath her were colliding against the shoreline, heavy and churning with the approaching storm, she would be married by the day's end.

Marriage.

The whole idea was still a little...off putting, but perhaps that was just from the years of her conditioning herself to believe that there was no sanctity in the act, nothing pure about inevitable betrayal.

However, when she thought of Damon, that fear subsided.

Infidelity was not his nature, and the ceremony would be means to a better end for them both.

Her with power and he with an heir.

Over the time it had taken to prepare for the ceremony that would bind them, Elena had tried not to think too much of that particular aspect of the agreement.

A child, with Damon.

Her head shook as she even tried to picture it.

The King of the Underworld needed a successor, that much she understood, and Damon's desire for a powerful offspring made sense, if this child was to one day take over his domain.

However, it was a hard-pressed thing for Elena to try and imagine herself as a parent.

With all the blood on her hands, it was clear that she was much better at killing things than she was at keeping them alive.

Raising an Olympian god or goddess within the Underworld would be another challenge...and what if the child did not inherit Damon's power?

Would she then have to concede to another heir? Another child?

She closed her eyes, letting the sound of the crashing waves ease her growing panic.

No.

She had promised Damon an heir. A singular heir. If the child wasn't to his liking, well, that was his to fault, was it not?

She would have done her duty, and that was that.

And duty was all it was.

There were others to help raise the child, modern advancements to aid so that she would not need to feed it from her breasts; Damon had made clear that he intended to upbring the offspring as heir to his domain...so really, all that was needed from her was a womb.

Give birth to what Damon wanted, and her side of the bargain would be complete.

It did not have to be more complicated than that.

* * *

"Elena," someone called her name, and she turned to see Caroline, her golden gown swirling around her with the breeze, "It is time."

She smiled at her friend, walking forward to take the blonde's hand, "I am pleased that you were able to be here."

It had been at Damon's suggestion that she invite her friend to witness, but Elena had had her doubts that the daughter of Apollo would show.

To support Elena's union to Damon would be to stand against Olympus's wishes.

For that reason alone, no one else from Olympus had been invited.

"I am not entirely convinced that you are making the right choice," Caroline admitted, squeezing her hand, "But I know how stubborn you are and that telling you otherwise will change nothing."

"Nothing needs to change," Elena reassured her, "Damon and I have worked out an agreement that is favorable to us both. Damon will get what he wants, and I get control of one of the core three domains in the gods-realm."

Caroline shook her head, half exasperated, half in awe, "You, as Queen of Hades. It frightens me that I could actually see you doing well there...but are you sure Damon is going to hand over his domain to you. Words and actions do not always align when it comes to promises of the gods."

"He will," Elena said with certainty, "He loves me. Truly, he does."

Caroline's bottom lip caught between her teeth, "I hope you are right...if you are not, I fear you will have nowhere else to go. Olympus is talking, Elena. They know you move to take the war domain, and they do not want Damon having that much power when-"

"They can do nothing to stop it," Elena reasoned with her, "And as long as Ares blood runs through my veins, his domain is my birthright. He's already agreed to sign the contract. If it weren't for Damon wanting to wait until after the wedding, it would already be done, and not a single god has made an attempt to intervene."

"Only because they fear the wrath of Hades," Caroline pointed out.

Elena smirked, "As well they should. Damon will not tolerate treachery against the Underworld. You heard how well my trial went over for the gods of Olympus. They can come at us however they see fit, and they will fail. Again."

The blonde sighed, studying her face, "Well. At the very least, it would seem you are protected. I offer prayers that you will remain so, and that this union grants you all that you are hoping for."

Elena dropped her friend's hand to squeeze her arm, "Thank you, Caroline. I am certain that it will. Today, my oppression from the Olympians comes to an end."

"Then we should go to the altar now. Where your future awaits."

Clasping hands once more, the two daughters of the gods-blood made their way across the cliffs, to the altar site, where indeed, the future was waiting.

* * *

Damon could not break his gaze from the goddess walking toward him.

She held every thought in his mind, every tense of his body, and the entirety of his heart, and had from the moment their lips had first met, so many years ago.

Elena.

Everything he had wanted, and all he had thought he'd lost, was going to be his today.

She was going to be his Queen, his future, forever at his side.

Caroline walked with her, but faded to the side as they reached the altar where the ceremony was to be held.

He could not even take notice of the other guests; some of the lesser gods and goddesses of his Underworld, the servants to attend them, and the loyal guard he had brought for protection.

So many were against the union, he dared not risk more in attendance than that.

Though when his bride stepped forward, and he took her hand into his own, he could have been anywhere in the world, in any of the realms, surrounded by everything or nothing, and been just as content as he was in this very moment.

"You're beautiful," he told her, allowing himself a long glance at the gown she had chosen for the occasion.

Black as the river Styx, and as flowing as the water beneath them, Elena was a galaxy all her own.

The dress shined with shimmering jewels at her waist and the straps of cloth that laid over the delicate skin of her shoulders.

It cut down to the top of her abdomen, exposing smooth, sun kissed skin for his gaze to feast upon.

The swells of her breast lifted with each slow breath she drew into her body and her eyes remained on his face, permitting his assessment.

He smiled at her, bringing her palm to his lips and placing a gentle kiss against her knuckles, "My Queen."

A curving smile brushed across Elena's mouth and she dipped into a low curtsy, "Your Majesty."

Her stare wandered over him then, and from the way the fire in her eyes ablazed, he was sure that she enjoyed what she saw.

His black dress robes, were simple, but of royal caliber, and the cloak he donned on swiveled across the back of his feet.

He would present himself as nothing but the best, for her.

Elena's fingers tightened around his own and he motioned forward, to the arch next to the cliff's edge, where his mother stood waiting.

"My son," Persephone announced, inclining her head in a short bow of respect.

Damon offered the same in return by dropping to one knee, "Mother."

Elena followed his example, falling to his side, her head bowed low, "Your Grace."

The Goddess nodded at them, permitting them to stand.

As a patron of marriage, and one of Elena's more favorable advocates, Damon had no doubt that she was the best choice of the deities to officiate their marriage.

"Damon, place your left hand in my palm," Persephone said, and he obeyed, though his eyes remained locked on Elena.

He felt his mother press something into his hand, and he forced himself to glance over at it.

A short dagger, with a rubied hilt.

"Blood of my blood," she closed his fingers around the jewels, "Joined today, in divine power."

Damon knew what the ceremony demanded, and from the focus in Elena's stare, she did as well.

He lifted her hand as he took the dagger, turning her palm face up, then waited.

When his bride nodded, assuring him that she was ready, he drew the blade across her palm.

"Blood of my blood," he repeated, as he then handed the dagger to her.

Elena took the weapon with the ease of years, and sliced it against his hand when he offered it to her.

"Blood of my blood," she echoed to him, her dark eyes brighter than he'd ever seen them.

"Set the dagger on the altar, then place your hands together," Persephone instructed, and they did, the power of the gods-blood flowing from their veins, into each others being.

"Now you will site the vows, my children, and bind yourselves forevermore."

Damon grabbed Elena's other hand as well, holding both of them out between their bodies, gripping her tightly.

"You are Blood of my Blood," he started, and Elena spoke the words with him; their voices ricocheting off the cliffside in perfect harmony.

"You are Bone of my Bone.

I give you my Body, that we Two shall be One.

I give you my Soul, so shall it be Done.

Forever I am Yours, and Forever you are Mine.

From this Day, to Our last Day. Eternal for all Time."

The last of their promise echoed back to them, as a crackling of thunder rumbled through the sky, the day darkening evermore, shrouding the electric current between them, making Damon's heart race with anticipation.

This was it. All he had ever wanted.

"Very well done," Persephone smiled at the two of them, "By blood you are now bound, from this day and everyone that follows."

She turned to address Damon once more, "My son, you have chosen your Queen?"

"I have," he answered reverently, lost in Elena's sepia stare.

"Is she worthy?"

"She is."

"And what do you offer her?"

"Everything I am."

Persephone turned to Elena, "Do you accept the offer, child, to honor Damon as your husband and your King?"

Slowly, Elena nodded, "I do."

* * *

Persephone smiled again, "Then your King shall present the sacrament to you."

Damon exhaled deeply, the words of his domain burning on his tongue, ready to have them asked so that he could take Elena into his arms.

"Your answers to the Underworld will prove your worth to rule," he told her, having no doubt that she belonged at his side, "To be weighed and measured with the questions I present."

Elena nodded, "You will not find me lacking."

Of course he would not.

Damon cleared his throat, and squeezed her hand, "The weight of the realm is heavy, my love, can you bear it?"

Elena's expression remained neutral, "Yes. I was born to the war domain of the gods-realm and my roots run deep."

"And when you feel this weight pressing down on your shoulders, to the very essence of your being, will you knees buckle? Will your body fold beneath it?"

"No," she answered swiftly, "I will hold steady until even Atlas fears my strength."

Pride swelled in Damon's chest; this goddess was made for him.

"The Underworld will both run fire through your veins and turn your bones to ice, will you let them shatter?"

"I am the daughter of love, and of chaos and battle. Fire has always burned within me and I will melt the cold away."

Damon smirked at the surety of her tone, "And when you must rule the dead? When desperate, pleading souls start to grasp at your ankles, begging for mercy...will you stumble in your purpose?"

A flash of lightning broke through the clouds, mirroring in Elena's dark eyes.

"My heel will remind them the cost of touching a Queen."

Heat boiled beneath the surface of her gaze, beneath her skin itself, and Damon wanted nothing more than to bury himself in her warmth and to stay in it forever.

Forever.

They would have forever now.

"And at last...marriage for gods is eternal, my love. So if you are ever tempted to leave," he added, wanting absolute commitment, "If you find yourself wanting to renege on the arrangement...what will you do?"

Elena swallowed, and answered more slowly this time than the ones before, "I would never dishonor myself by breaking my vows. I understand the commitment I am making. Today, I will eat from the fruit of Hades and never stray from my realm or my King."

The weight of her words laid heavy in the air, her tongue running across her lips, her body tight and waiting.

"Do you accept this offer, my son?" Persephone asked, her voice low and steady, "Do you honor Elena as your wife and as your Queen?"

Yes. A million times over. Yes.

"I do."

"Then kiss your bride, Damon. Seal your promises with divine love."

Finally.

* * *

Damon dropped Elena's hands to wrap his arms around her body.

He drew her into him until he could feel her every line and curve pressed against him.

Her chin lifted as she waited, lips parting for his.

Damon hesitated for only a moment, soaking in the sight of his bride, so open and waiting, searing the image of her half-lidded gaze into his mind.

Then he kissed her.

The sky rumbled and crackled above them, letting go of the first drop of rain, but they did not notice.

Elena was fire beneath him, her tongue capturing his own, drawing him in deeper and deeper, enough to lose himself in her taste and her scent, completely enrapturing his heart and soul, marking him entirely with the essence of who she was and what she meant to him.

He never wanted to stop kissing her, but knew that they had to complete the ceremony before he could take her away, to a place where they could finally be alone.

So with great reluctance, he drew back, letting go of her lips and loosening his hold on her waist, until they were parted.

Reality returned as his head cleared and even Elena seemed dazed as her head tilted toward the heavens, towards the rain that was now falling down on them, soaking through everything, cleansing them.

She laughed sweetly, as if she were a child, delighted by the weather, and her eyes closed as the droplets ran down her face.

Damon smiled at the way her happiness shrouded her with an innocence long forgotten, and for that moment, they were children again; new to the world, new to love, and awaiting a bright future ahead of them.

"Damon," Persephone urged gently, seeming pleased at the smile on his face, "The contract."

He nodded, allowing Elena a final moment, before summoning the form.

He placed it on the altar, knowing the magic of his power would protect it from ruin.

"We will sign together," he told his bride, "Binding us to one another and the terms upon which we have agreed."

Elena nodded and once again, picked up the dagger and placed it against her skin, "Blood of my blood."

"Blood of my blood," Damon recited, cutting his own wound back open.

Together, they signed the contract in gods-blood, sealing their fates for eternity.

* * *

Elena didn't even flinch when Damon took the hand she had cut, though the pain was still fresh, and the contract disappeared as he pulled her back to his side.

Damon brought her palm to his lips.

For a moment, she expected him to kiss her wound, an unexpected gesture of comfort, but instead, he inhaled slowly, and his tongue slivered against her skin, licking up the dripping blood and closing her wound.

Warmth and desire swarmed in her belly at the sight of that red on his lips, and his tongue ran over them, tasting her completely.

She remembered how talented his mouth truly was, and suddenly couldn't wait to have the ceremony end, if only so she could once more visit his bed.

"Almost finished," he told her, as if reading her mind, and Elena felt the slightest of blushes color her cheeks.

The drizzling rain had darkened Damon's hair, his eyes glowing in contrast, and with any and all skylight being faded from black clouds, she could only think of the night she had spent with him on Poseidon's sea shore, so near where they were now, promising their forevers to one another.

Almost finished.

She glanced up as Persephone moved, bringing something over to the altar.

A living, breathing something, that had been on his knees the entire ceremony; waiting to be used.

"Damon," his mother spoke clearly, "Bind your sacrifice to the altar."

Damon moved, doing as she said, and Elena looked down at the man who was hoisted onto the stone slab.

He was human, a devout one, who spoke Hades name in a prayer, thankful to play such a significant role in the life of the god he worshiped, and pleaded that the ending of his life would grant his soul passage to Elysium.

His words were slurred however, and Elena knew he had been given herb to help the panic that death could bring.

He also smelled of lilacs and rose extract, having been bathed and prepped for the ceremony by nymphs, probably from Persephone's forests.

"A sacrifice to the realm," Persephone spoke then, "Made in offering from its rulers. Grasp the hilt my children, and offer blood to your subjects."

Damon's hand closed around the blade, as he lifted it above the human.

Elena placed her hand over his, steeling herself.

"To the honor of Hades," her King spoke, his voice strong.

"To the honor of you," she countered.

Damon's eyes flickered to her as they drove the knife down, into the sacrifice's heart.

And with his death, their new life began.

* * *

 **So this chapter was pretty much all wedding lol. Hope yall enjoyed!**

 **The next one will involve more...honeymoon activities ;)**

 **Also, I did have some help with the vows. Some article for vows of Hades, but I changed them to fit the story.**

 **Anyway, disclaimer on that.**

 **Look forward to reading your reviews!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Thank you guys so much for all the reviews! I am trying to get these chapters out as quickly as I can, I swear!  
But I'm in my last semester of school and they are giving us multiple tests each week so I'm using most of my free time to study! :P**

 **Sorry for all of the waiting! But hopefully this will help make up for it! :)**

* * *

"Where are you taking me?" Elena asked as she reached for the hands that were covering her eyes and tried to pry the fingers away.

"Ah. Ah. Ah," Damon chided, "No peeking. We're almost there."

She sighed with a joking frustration, and dropped her hands back to her side.

"I could incapacitate you if I wanted to," she reminded him, "So why don't you just tell me where we are going."

"Patience, my love," he chuckled, still leading her forward, "And know that the surprise will be worth it."

"I hate surprises," she muttered, "They usually end in someone dying."

Another laugh, "Don't you trust me? I am your husband, after all."

She shivered at the word.

The marriage ceremony ended before the sun had set, but she imagined it would take many cycles for her to ever get used to being someone's bride.

She was saved from having to answer because a moment later, Damon halted her and she felt him move to her side.

"There's a portal here," he warned her, "Be careful of your step when you pass through it."

She nodded, still wishing he would give her back her sight, but after he'd gone through all the trouble of whisking her away from their wedding to spring this surprise on her, it seemed only fair to play along; however begrudgingly.

Feeling her way through the portal, with Damon's palms still against her eyes, she felt the passing vortex of energy engulf her body, until her feet were solidly on the other side, her toes sinking through the...sand?

Was that sand?

"Damon…" she frowned, more confused than concerned now as the sound of gentle waves reached her ears, "Are we still in the Underworld?"

He had first covered her eyes when they stepped off the ferryman's boat in Hades, so she wasn't sure what the point of leaving the domain would be, but she could not recall any part of the Underworld that had sand, or water that smelled like an ocean shore.

By way of answer, Damon's hands fell away, and she opened her eyes.

* * *

The sight before her was breathtaking, as well as extremely familiar.

Poseidon's Sea, stretching out eternally before them, the horizon swallowed by the clear night sky that was a glittering black curtain with thousands of stars shining down.

White sand spread from the edge of the lapping waves all the way to the place where they stood, cool and soft beneath her feet.

Elena's mouth fell open, "It looks exactly the same."

"Because it is," Damon whispered into her ear, his arms enclosing around her waist, "I made certain of it."

She turned around, her brows furrowing, "You mean that we-"

"Are still in the Underworld," he smiled, "Yes. That is my meaning."

He motioned to the water, " I had a few alterations made to one of the caverns, so we could enjoy ourselves while still in the protection of the realm."

"A _few_ alterations," she repeated, a slow smile forming on her lips as she turned, "That is what you call the reformation of Poseidon's Shore?"

She kicked a little sand, watching as it scattered a few inches.

Damon was still smiling, "I seem to recall you enjoying the night we spend on that particular beach."

The night they had kissed for the first time and professed their love for one another on the damp sands.

Still in awe, she glanced back to the water, the gentle sway of the dark waves, "Is it real?"

Damon chuckled, stepping into place behind her once more, "Why don't we go find out?"

"Now?"

She felt his fingers brush the dress tie at the nape of her neck, working the fabric loose, "Now is as good a time as any."

The gown dropped from her body as the ties came undone, and she barely gave it a second thought as she turned in Damon's arms, her fingers flying to the cloak's bindings on his chest.

They worked together, undressing him, until they were both unhindered and Damon took her hand, pulling her across the sand, to the sea.

* * *

"I can not believe this," she sighed as they waded out, the water growing deeper and deeper, "If I did not know your power, I would surmise that we were actually under the real sky."

Damon grabbed her waist, pulling her to him, "That was the idea...Are you pleased?"

She smiled, looking around in wonderment once more, "Yes. Very."

His returning smirk had her heart skipping a beat in her chest, and without thought, she leaned down and kissed him.

Damon's arms wrapped around her, their bodies molding together in the water, and her legs found their way around his hips.

He held her as they kissed, neither hurried nor drawing it out; each simply enjoying the feel of the other.

"Thank you," she told him when they finally pulled away, and the back of Damon's knuckles brushed against her cheek.

"There is more that I would give you," he told her, all amusement gone from his expression now, "And nothing that I would deny you. Whatever you desire, my love, you need only speak it and it is yours."

His words were a warm rush of contentment, sealing her certainty that she had made the right choice.

"Whatever I wish?"

"Anything within my power," he promised, "You are Queen, now. I would have you want for nothing."

But in that moment, all Elena wanted was him.

The feel of his body against hers, the devotion of his words...it was twisting inside of her stomach with a growing heat that only he could satisfy.

"Then kiss me," she whispered, holding his gaze, "And all current desires will be fulfilled."

Damon smiled a little at her words, before once more capturing her mouth with his own.

* * *

The next few moments felt like a dream, as they waded through the waves, toward the shore, their lips never separating.

How familiar this was, as they rolled in the shallow water, onto the wet sand of the shore, their bodies finding all the right curves to align with, until Damon was where she wanted him most, pushing into her with ease.

Elena's nails scored into his back as he thrusted forward, filling her completely.

Gods, she loved the feel of him inside of her.

The water splashed around them as he moved above her, and her toes curled into the sand as she coiled with pleasure.

"Damon...by the gods…" she breathed, building to a new high as her vision got lost in the blanket of stars above them.

A heaven in hell.

Her orgasm overcame her quickly, spasming through her in delicious waves that matched each stroke of Damon's thrusts, his lips finding hers and drowning out the moan that left her throat.

His tongue was warm as it pushed its way past her teeth, dipping in to brush against her own, and the taste of him made her wild.

The sheer absolution and power of this god above her, and he was bound to her entirely.

Through love, loyalty, and contract, he was hers as much as she was his.

Every part of him.

* * *

Elena bit down on Damon's lip when he moved to pull away, as the hands that were gripping his side moved to his shoulders, pushing him over.

Damon rolled easily, letting her take the lead as her thighs parted over his hips and she straddled him, taking his still hardened sex as deep within her as she could, throwing her head back as she stretched around his length once more.

Gods, how had she ever been satisfied with anything less than him?

Damon's lips parted as he stared up at her through hooded eyes, the blue of his irises peeking out through the slits.

He groaned as she began to move, his hands shooting to her waist, his stare reverent.

But tonight, she did not want to be worshiped.

Tonight, she wanted to explore the depth of their power, without restraint, without worry of injury or fear of being too much.

Damon could handle anything she could give him, and in return, she was strong enough to embrace his true nature.

The son of Hades and hellfire.

The only one that could match the turmoil of chaos that ran through her own veins.

Her speed increased until she was riding him without mercy, their bodies slamming together with each surge of her hips, his hands squeezing so tightly into her waist that she was almost certain there would be bruises left behind.

The thought made her core drip even more, her juices slickening the place they were joined, until the friction and heat started swirling in her abdomen once more, teasing a climax.

"Fuck," Damon hissed as his finger dug into her skin.

She was delighted to feel heat spurring from his palms, control of his power lost as he was overcome with his own pleasure.

In the years that stretched out before them, she planned on getting very acquainted with having his scorch marks cover her body.

Damon's eyes finally closed, as his face strained; his head falling back on the wet sand.

He was close to falling apart, and she wanted to watch the undoing happen.

Each contraction of his muscle sent pleasure through her own body, but she forced herself to hold off; fighting back the edge, in favor of Damon toppling over his.

However, he did not.

She could feel the resistance of his hips, as he denied himself an orgasm, giving her time to reach hers.

One of his hands left her waist, moving to her clit to rub against the sensitive flesh, and she almost lost control.

"Damon," she hissed, his name jumbling as her focus faltered, "Don't."

"Want you. to..come," he grit out through clenched teeth, and the rough growl of his words almost granted that wish for him.

But she was stubborn.

"No," Elena gasped, pulling his hand away from her core and pinning it down, "It is my turn to watch you."

Damon managed to shake his head, even as she tightened herself on him.

"Your pleasure first."

Damn. He was _good_.

"We have eons for that," she reminded him breathlessly, "Tonight, I would have your pleasure."

He hardened further inside of her at the words, and she smiled, "Besides, if luck is with you, your seed will take hold and give you that heir you so desperately bargained for."

Damon's eyes flashed to hers, the blue fire in his gaze hot enough to spur into her very soul, and suddenly, his hips were rising off the ground to meet hers, his grip returning to her waist, spearing her body onto his with hard lurches.

The desperation that fueled him was all it took to drive her back to that edge, his hungry stare a match for her own as he reached his own limit and crashed with his orgasm.

Elena felt him cum inside of her, and the warmth of his seed coating her as he thrusted a final few times was enough to spark her own finish.

She convulsed slowly around him, every aspect of her physical sense heightened in its wake.

Calloused hands stroking the curve of her hips; the water licking at her heels; the grains of wet sand giving way beneath her knees, and Damon softening inside of her.

* * *

She rolled off of her lover, falling next to him in the shallow water, and laughed.

"Damn."

Damon's chuckle joined her own, "I am going to assume that the marriage is well consummated after that."

"I'm inclined to agree," she giggled, as he tapped at her, urging her closer.

She rolled into his embrace, using his arm as a pillow as they both stared up at the faux night sky.

"You're amazing," he murmured after a moment, turning his head to look at her.

Elena smiled, "Just making sure that I hold up my end of the bargain. Wouldn't want to give you an excuse to take my soul again."

Damon smirked, "And that's all this was? Part of the contract?"

She shrugged teasingly, "Maybe...or maybe I just like the feel of you inside of me. Either way, we are both getting what we want, right?"

Damon's smile was a grin now, "Oh, my love, you haven't seen anything yet."

Her brow arched as he began pulling away, until he was standing and pulled her with him.

"We will bathe in the sea," he told her, "Then I will show you what other benefits you will reap from our marriage bed."

His eyes held no signal of a bluff, and anticipation gripped in her chest.

"You're going to do everything in your power to assure that I enjoy being married to you, aren't you?" she accused with a smirk of her own.

Damon merely winked, and began to lead her out to deeper waters.

* * *

Aphrodite stood at the edge of the marble flooring in her chambers, leaning against one of the pillars, looking out into the fading night with a letter gripped in her palm.

Hermes had delivered it to her hours ago, with the seal of Apollo stamped onto it's enclosement.

She had not been prepared for the message inside, despite the warning she had been given, and had immediately summoned the only person with whom she hoped could understand her emotions.

He appeared now, as subtle as ever with each echoing thud of his steps, his presence a tangible change in the room.

"Aphrodite," he called, and slowly, she turned to face him.

Ares stood as he always did, tall and menacing with careful eyes and a thick muscled body.

Her heart fluttered at the sight, and she wondered if there was ever going to be a day that it wouldn't.

"She went through with it," she told him, lifting the letter, "Elena's married him."

Ares cursed, "Officialized?"

"By Persephone herself," Aphrodite said stiffly, "Or so Apollo learned from his daughter."

"She was in attendance?" he questioned, moving through the room.

Aphrodite nodded, "Apparently."

Ares shook his head, "Then it's happened. Elena is Queen."

"You must be proud," she shot coldly, crossing her arms.

Ares narrowed his eyes at her, "My intent was her protection-"

"Your intent was paying off your debt to Damon for getting rid of Hades for you," she cut him off, "Do not pretend anything else."

"This is why you've called me here, then?" he snarled, "To throw around accusations? Because it was your halfling that drove Elena to the Underworld in the first place."

"And your contract that gave her to Damon," she clipped back, then sighed, "But no...that is not why I've asked you to come."

He crossed his arms, waiting for her reasoning.

"There have been rumors," she explained, "About Elena taking control of your domain. I was wondering the truth of them."

Ares exhaled deeply, then moved to sit on the edge of the large bed.

"It is truth...though my hand has been forced."

"How so?" she asked, taking a few steps closer to him.

"She came to me," Ares admitted, " Elena did. Threatened to have Damon send me through the veil if I did not surrender the domain."

Aphrodite's brow arched, "But...surely he would not dare…"

"He would for her," Ares bit, "And Elena knew it. She recognized what I could not...I suppose she has your blood to thank for that."

Aphrodite scoffed, sitting next to him, "He loves her, then. Truly?"

"If she is anything like you, I'm sure he is quite twisted around every one of her fingers," Ares shook his head, "But a love to that default creates a weakness to be exploited. One I plan to take advantage of."

Aphrodite frowned, "What is your meaning?"

Ares smiled coldly, "Elena thinks she knows War, but I will prove her wrong. And in doing so, I will force Damon into creating a new contract; one that will nullify me from any repercussions of his power."

She had known the god long enough to know the intentions behind his meaning now...and to know that there was no line he would not cross to have his way.

"Ares, if you harm her-"

"She will be fine," he insisted, "I will spill no more blood than what is needed to make Damon...agreeable."

"He'll kill you for this."

"Not if he wants to keep her safe."

"And if your bluff is called," she accused, standing, "Are you willing to gamble with your daughter's life? Willing to do as you tell him you will and kill her?"

The moonlight reflected in his eyes as Ares looked up at her, "Killing her would be of no use. He is King of the _Dead_. Killing her would give her back to him. No, my threat will be far worse. Eternal separation. I will take her from him; keep her alive and locked away until he complies."

"And you would do that to Elena?" Aphrodite trembled, "Your own blooded daughter? You would subject her to this fate?"

Ares stood slowly, towering as anger rolled through his body.

"This is _war_ ," he said sharply, "And Elena is the one who sounded the battle drums."

* * *

 **Aaaaanyway...lol**

 **Let me know what you thought :)  
**

 **I'll try to get the next chapter out soon!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Update :)**

* * *

Elena woke some time later to the soft sounds of waves brushing against a calm shore.

She blinked a few times, willing the thick haze of sleep to lift from her body, which was feeling heavier than usual.

Every muscle slack, sore, used.

Her eyes opened fully as she recalled why.

There was a white canopy above her; around her.

Thin wisps blowing lightly with the sea breeze, the color matching that of the soft cotton sheets that were draped around her.

The bed was large, soft, to the point that she felt as if she could sink into its folds and rest in peace forever.

But she was not alone in the bed, and that fact was enough to have her turning over to see her lover.

Damon was still sleeping.

Damon. King of Hades. Her husband.

She reached up to touch his face, then stopped.

Something about him, unconscious and vulnerable, tightened her chest and she found that she didn't want to disturb him.

There was no light from the sky, which seemed to be set for a perpetually eternal night, so she had no way of telling what the true hour was, but half of her could not be bothered enough to care.

They were rulers of the realm, were they not?

They could wake up whenever they damn well pleased, and right now, it pleased her to watch her husband's sleeping face.

Damon was beautiful, there was no disputing that, but his features were even more pronounced as he rested, his hair falling in every direction; the muscles of his face slack.

Idly, she wondered what his child would look like, when it came.

Would it inherit Damon's perfect face? Those impossibly high cheekbones? The thick, dark curls, or those crystal eyes she loved so much?

It was overwhelming to imagine such a small being, a blend of them both, heir to their domains.

Perhaps someday they would even-

She stopped herself, slightly shaking her head.

No.

That was not a road that she was going down.

She had not married Damon for the heir, and could not let the possibility hinder the plans that she was working for their future.

For the future of Olympus.

The child was means to an end, nothing more.

 _Means to an end?_ A small voice echoed in her head, _Now, where have we heard that before?_

She ignored it.

This was entirely different. She was not her parents, and the child she bore would not be a bastard.

Just because she had no wish to participate in-

Again, she stopped her thoughts.

Now was not the time to be getting wrapped inside of her own head.

She was working one step at a time, and right now, all that mattered was that she keep her end of the deal with Damon, so that he kept his and would give her the power she would need to press her agenda.

Starting with the War domain.

Adding it to their kingdom would be the start of a new dynasty, bigger than anything the gods of old had ever dreamed.

The realm needed cleansing; a correction for the way they had treated her, treated Damon.

She was going to launch a new world order that would ensure the gods of Olympus never treated her or Damon with such complacency again.

" _Love is an illusion_ ," her father had once told her, " _Not something you can conjure or force. Fear, however...fear can be induced as easily as a swing of your sword_."

And in a way, he was right, she realized on the night Damon had let her enact revenge on the guards who had threatened her.

Perhaps the realm would never love her, but they would fear her.

Damon's power was insurance of that, and she would use it to grow the realm of the dead, until they ruled over the entirety of Olympus and the twelve finally gave them the respect they deserved.

It would be bloody, sure.

But it would also be glorious, and after all, that was what war was about, in the end.

* * *

Images of progression, and the fall of Olympus at her feet, spurred an excitement in Elena's chest, and she knew exactly how to stoke the embers into a roaring flame.

With a twisted smile turning the corners of her lips, she pushed her way through the ivory blankets until her body was flush against her lover's.

His skin, glowing pale in the faux moonlight, was exposed vastly for her lips and she let her hunger for him lead her actions, trailing her mouth across his jaw, down his neck.

It took only a moment for him to stir, heavy eyes blinking until the blue cast of his gaze was peering down at her.

She smiled as a crooked smirk overcame him.

"Goodmorning, wife," his hand lifted to brush against her cheek as his other arm curved around her, drawing her closer against him.

"Is it morning?" she teased him, placing another kiss to his chest.

Damon out to the night sky over the ocean, before pulling his hand from her to wave it through the air.

"It is whatever you wish it to be," he whispered, as the sky above them turned, the moon disappearing and an early morning haze of light taking its place.

But Elena found little interest in the dawn.

"You give me much," she started, turning more to her side so she could stare into his face, "For so little in return."

"Loving you is no small thing, Elena."

She shook her head, "I do not speak of love. I speak of...rationality. You give me a kingdom, the right to influence your power, fearful respect from the other gods; you have offered me all the desires of my heart...yet all you ask in return is a marriage where I share your bed for an heir. I dare say that our arrangement is heavily one-sided. Why would you honor something that hardly offers you benefit?"

She was surprised when Damon chuckled, "You choose to ask this after marrying me?"

Elena shrugged, "Well, as I've noted, either way, the bargain is weighted in my favor. I had more to gain than to lose by agreeing to be your bride, whatever your motives."

When Damon only smirked, Elena rolled so that she could prop her torso over him, "Come on, Damon. It's done; we're married. You can be honest with me now."

His hand once more cupped her cheek, and she leaned into the touch, "Is it so surprising that I might just have wanted you? No ulterior motive; because I love you?"

She arched her brow, waiting, and Damon sighed.

"I have not lied to you, Elena. Nor have I hidden my intent from you. I bargained our marriage because I love you," his fingertips brushed against her lips, "Because having a Queen like you would be favorable for the future of my domain. Because an heir born between us will have claim to three core domains of the gods realm; one you have already secured for us. Our heir will strengthen our rule through inheritance, and bind you to me irrevocably; which I look forward to, very much."

"So," she smiled slowly, "Within rationale, this is about the power as much as your love for me."

"Mutually beneficial," he admitted, "Though, as King, power for my realm will always be a factor."

This, she could make sense of, and she nodded a little in response.

Damon moved quickly, flipping them so that he hovered above her, his smile blinding, "Does that answer satisfy your need for rationale?"

Her arms circled around his neck as their noses brushed, "To know that you want to monopolize the realms in the name of the Underworld? It is easier to believe than you marrying me for love alone."

His stare was burning as their gazes held.

"Perhaps not for that alone," he allowed, "But know that your body and your heart are more than constellation prizes. I love you, Elena. And it has nothing to do with power. It is not political. It is not _rational_. I love you, and I will love you until the day my soul crosses the veil for the last time."

He descends on her before she has the chance to respond, so she settles for grasping his hair in her fist and leading his lips to hers.

The kiss was, as usual, breath robbing, but fresh air did not seem to matter as much as feeling his exhaling sigh in her lungs.

Everything about the way he kissed her was intoxicating; hypnotic.

She could lose herself in him if she was willing to allow it, and perhaps for the moment, she was.

Damon was the only Olympian who accepted her fully, for all that she was, and was willing to love her because of it, not in spite of it.

His teeth sank into her lower lip, eliciting a moan from the back of her throat, and she parted her thighs so he could fall into the cradle of her hips.

Their bodies molded together as he sank his weight into her, and her hands drifted over the curvature of his ribs, nails scraping into his skin as they trailed around his waist, to his back, scoring him there too when his tongue dipped between her lips.

Gods, how could she have so much of him and still want more? So much more...

He purred against her with a quiet laugh, "Feeling bloodthirsty, my Queen?"

She smiled, before lifting to steal another kiss, biting him this time in a deep, slow way, until she tasted the gods-blood upon her tongue.

Damon's pupils were dilated when she released him and she made a show of licking her now red lips, "And what if I am?"

His body was hard; tense with the way he wanted her and she stroked the strained muscles of his sides, "Love me all you want, Damon, but I do not need you to prove it in our marriage bed. You need your seed in my womb for an heir, and what I need is you inside of me. So do as we both want, my King; take me...and don't bother being gentle about it."

* * *

Burning and blood.

Red streaks coated scorch burns on white sheets as their passions surmounted and Damon did as she demanded; moving deeply inside of her.

Their bed became a battleground, as they rolled, pushed, bit, clawed and wrapped around each other to the point of devouration.

The fire between them was an addiction, and Elena was more than ready to take her fix, over and over if it meant keeping that blazing desire in Damon's eyes.

He had his way with her for what felt like hours, running her through all the peaks of her sexuality, forcing her to fall apart again and again as he drank in her pleasure as surely as if it were his own.

Never once were they interrupted, never once the sky above them change; the blueish purple haze of first light cascading them in soft warmth for this one endless morning.

Elena smiled as Damon flipped them once more, permitting her to have a turn on top, and as she rode him to their mutual completion, she leaned down to brush a kiss against his blood stained lips, tasting herself on his skin as they tumbled off the edge together.

If she had known that being Queen could be this good, perhaps she would not have fought the union as stubbornly as she had.

Because being touched by this man...this god...she could think of nothing better in all the realms.

* * *

"She is Queen now, your daughter," Hera spoke slowly, her eyes upon the warrior before her, "You ask me to sanction her death?"

The god of war drew himself high, his jaw set with determination, "No, All-Mother. That is not my intent."

"Intent," she arched a brow, "If you launch an attack on the Underworld, do you really expect there not to be casualties? Come now, son of War...you know better than that."

Ares shook his head, "I do not plan an open attack, nor do I require assistance in obtaining my daughter. I only ask of you a safe place in which to keep her held."

"A daughter of the gods-blood, you mean, who also has the might of Hades on her side."

He nodded, " Yes. The same daughter you would have seen killed before the council without a second thought, so please do not pretend this ails you. I have negotiations to make with the Lord of Death, and Elena being his bride makes her valuable leverage."

"I am hardly ailed," the mother sighed, turning from him as she looked out over the forest beyond the field they had met in, "And yes, your point is fair. Like his father before him, the young King chooses to _love_ his wife. And while we are not all so blessed, it does create quite the obvious vulnerability."

"You wanted her to pay for the crimes she commited," Ares reasoned, "Damon robbed you of that during her trial. He flaunts his power before Olympus, even still. He believes himself untouchable. I would prove him wrong."

Hera laughed dryly, and the noise resounded among the trees, "And you would pawn your bastard around as leverage to appease your wounded pride. Oh, my son...still just a boy in so many ways…"

"A boy," he spat the word, "I lead my battalions among the mortals to control the balance of their realms. I answer when they call to me, give last respects to dying warriors and dictate the outcome of histories in the making. There is nothing left of a child within me."

"And yet you fall prey to the same arrogance of your youth," she shot, "Though perhaps that is just your sex...Damon humiliated my husband in front the council that day as well. Do you not think that Zeus was aching to destroy the young King? Of course he was, and would have attempted had I not dissuaded him," she shook her head in a judging manner that was sharp as ice, "Pride can be a dangerous thing. And you, like my husband, would march right to your deaths for the chance of reclamation."

"Reclamation of my realm," he argued, "Not my pride. Perhaps Damon can not be killed, but he can be bargained with, if one were to acquire the proper leverage. I will use my daughter against him, as she has used him against me, and I would do so with the support of Olympus. So, if you will not assist me, perhaps your husband will."

A satyr chasing a nymph scurried across the tree line before them and Hera weighted until they disappeared into the brush to respond, "If you are so certain of this, why not go to him in the first place?"

Ares smiled, a little coldly, "I thought perhaps you would have sympathy for the situation I am in. After all, we all know Zeus's reputation. You are quite used to having others take something that belongs to you."

The open expression the goddess had worn disappeared, a storm all of its own blowing over her face.

"Careful, my child. My patience is near reach of its limits. Another remark like that will cost you your tongue."

Knowing when to consent, Ares inclined his head in a small bow, "Apologies, All-mother...but you can understand my resolve."

Hera sighed deeply, her gaze softening just slightly and she nodded.

"War is your domain. And shall remain so until you choose a successor. If the new Queen thinks she can force your hand, there is no guarantee that she will stop with War. Her blood gives her claim rights, but the Underworld is a vast domain within itself. What need have she of more? Unless Damon is using her to expand his empire; a truth that would be of great interest to Olympus, indeed."

Ares crook his head as she made the considerations.

"So, you will help me?" he inquired carefully.

Slowly, the Queen of Olympus nodded, "Hades should be reminded of its borders and of its purpose in the gods-realm. They overreach. So yes...if you wish to thwart Damon's intentions, I will help you."

Ares bowed his head in full now, "My gratitude is yours."

"Do not thank me yet, warrior," her long, golden gown swirled as she lifted her hand to halt him, "Most of the cells that can hold one of the gods-blood are kept in the Underworld. Obviously that is not an option for you, and I know of only one other place in all of Olympus that might contain her. Gaining access to it, however..."

The apprehension in her tone was enough that Ares knew exactly what holding she spoke of.

"The throne," he arched a brow in surprise, "You want to use the cage beneath the All-Father's throne."

Hera's expression solidified as her resolve hardened, "Damon and Elena want to use the power of his title and her birth against the gods of Olympus. It seems fitting that we remind them of their place; of the Underworld's place. _Beneath_ us."

* * *

It was hours still, before time began to have meaning again.

Elena was bare on the sands, laying on the beach under a now midday sun.

The waves lapped at her feet, splashing gently up her legs; a nice cool additive to the warm environment she bathed in.

Damon laid with her, his body between her thighs as his head rested in the dip of her stomach, his arms wrapped tightly around her.

Her fingers ran through his hair lazily, and as his breath had deepened, she had let her eyes fall shut, relaxing back into the sand.

The scene of the day around them may not been real, but the moment was, and she planned on enjoying it for as long as she possibly could.

"I hope you're pregnant."

Elena startled slightly at the deep purr of her husband's voice, and she opened her eyes to see his trained on her stomach.

"In time, my King, you will have your heir," she assured him, shifting to relax again.

Damon sat up slightly, still hovering over her belly.

"It's more than that," he smiled, placing a kiss on the skin he was looking at, "Our inheritor will come, no doubt...but to see you at my side; round with my child…" he grinned up at her, "I thought the possibilities of that desire had died a long time ago, and now it is but a breath from reality."

Elena crooked her head as she observed the happiness of his expression, "You really do want this, don't you?"

Damon crawled up her body, until he was right above her, and dropped a kiss to her forehead, "Of course I do. It is all I have ever wanted. A future secured; where I have a child, I have Hades, and I have _you_."

"Soon to have even more," she reminded him, "The War domain is a simple contract away from being ours. Once that is secured, we could arrange a summoning for my mother as well."

Damon chuckled and kissed the tip of her nose, "A bit premature, don't you think? War will benefit us here, now. Your mother's domain stands to be inherited in time, but she is not your father and she resides on the Mountain. Ultimatums in the heart of Olympus can be dangerous."

"But it is a domain you want," she reasoned, "For your heir, if nothing else."

"And _our_ heir will have it. In time," he held her gaze, "Which I get the distinct impression doesn't matter much to you. So what is this really about, if not the child?"

Elena pushed him away from her, sitting up, "I agreed to give you the successor you demanded, in wedlock so that it is not bastardized, but you have known from the beginning that I hold no desire to be a mother."

She expected Damon to argue, or to come back with some retort.

Instead, silence followed her statement, so she looked back at him, and was surprised to find him smirking.

"What?" she challenged.

Damon's teeth flashed in his amusement, "You are capable of self-reflection, my love. So tell me, do you honestly think that you could hold a child, born of your gods-blood, in your arms and not feel a single thing?"

When she didn't answer, he laughed quietly, "Exactly. I know you, Elena. Apparently better than you even know yourself. You resented your parents for years for the way they treated you; resent all of Olympus for the same thing now. You care enough not to want the offspring you bear to be outcasted, as you were. You will care enough to want it loved by its mother."

 _No_.

She wanted to argue with him, deny his words.

This was political. A compromise. She did not want a child.

If she had the desire, she could have chosen any number of the gods to impregnate her over the years.

 _Unless you were waiting_ , a voice tells her, _Waiting for a god worthy of marrying, of giving a child to_...the very one who had broken her heart and shattered those dreams in the first place.

No. The heir was just part of the arrangement; and marrying Damon was means to an end.

A way to get what she wanted.

The excuses overwhelmed her head, but she did not feel them in her heart.

She never had.

* * *

Damon reached out to his bride when he noticed her hand had started to tremble.

She blinked at the touch, as if being pulled from her thoughts, and their eyes met.

"I can not love you," she said quietly, "I learned the dangers of that years ago. Why would I open myself to that vulnerability again for a mere child?"

He could only sigh, a small smile still playing on his lips.

Elena was so wrapped up in the walls she'd built for herself over the years, always on the defense, that she could not even admit to herself her true feelings.

But he knew what he felt when he touched her; he knew what he saw when she looked at him.

Because they had done this before, years ago.

She'd loved him then, and she loved him now even if she couldn't admit it, and despite what she thought, there was no doubt in his mind that she would love their child as well.

She was too stubborn, too ferocious, not to love fiercely.

Her challenging brown eyes stared him down now, and he read right through the defense.

It was almost tragic, that his Elena believed herself incapable of love, when in truth, she was incapable of _not_ loving.

The intensity in which she felt her heart was one of the things he admired most about her and it rendered her incapable of being passive.

She would love him, she would love their child, and she would fight it every step of the way.

"I suppose we will just have to wait and see," he teased, pretending not to like that her eyes flashed with annoyance.

"Yes," she said stiffly, "I suppose we will. Though in that case, perhaps you might wish to prolong the occurrence. We both know how you hate being wrong."

"A fault we both share," he pointed out as he reached over and grabbed her arm, yanking her closer, "And there will be no prolonging."

She recognized the change in his tone and a smile curved her mouth as she felt him ready for her.

"Is that so?" Her palm drifted over his chest, to his neck, where her nails grazed his skin.

He yanked her again, so that she was laying back on the sand, and he was once more above her.

"It is," he pushed apart her thighs with his knee, falling flush against her.

She squirmed a bit at the feel of where their bodies brushed intimately, and he stole a harsh kiss, "Because I want you, my Queen. Not for an heir this time," he moved a little to align them, "but for the sake of having you fall apart beneath me."

"And don't worry," He thrusted forward roughly, and smiled as she gasped, "I won't be gentle about it."

* * *

 **Let me know what you think :)**


	16. Chapter 16

**An update for you guys! Thanks for being patient :)**

* * *

Persephone moved swiftly through the gates of Hades, dropping some coins to the ferryman when he offered her a hand onto the boat.

The ride, which usually dragged on in endless moments, passed quickly as her eyes scanned the black waters below.

Rumors had been circulating in the gods-realm, and a white raven had come to her with confirmation of them just that morning.

The news in which her pet had carried seemed like something her son needed to be informed of, however much he would hate being disturbed.

Not that she blamed him.

Only a week had passed since his wedding to the new Queen, and the two young gods deserved their time in an isolated paradise.

She had done what she could to give the time to them, but the fallout of their marriage was waiting just beyond the horizon, in the form of a brewing storm.

One she would not see flood the Underworld to destruction.

The caverns of the Underworld were welcoming, as was the slew of guards Damon had posted at the boat's dockport.

"Queen Mother," one of them addressed as they bowed, before helping her step onto solid ground, "Is his Grace expecting you?"

"Not yet," she admitted, "But I come with news of great urgency. Are he and his bride-"

"Their Majesties are in the throne room, sentencing the souls. We will offer you escort and announce your arrival."

Her brow arched slowly, "I hardly need an escort through my own realm, and I can announce myself."

She made to step forward, but found her path quickly blocked by two of the other guard members.

Their leader, the one who had spoken previously, inclined his head.

"Forgive us, my Lady, but as you are no longer reigning Queen, we can not permit you to roam Hades without permission from his Majesty, the King. We will take you to him."

Persephone was surprised by the declaration, but had to admit that she was impressed at the measures of safety Damon had put into place.

"Alright then," she consented, "Take me to my son."

* * *

The guards wasted no time, leading the way through the dark caverns on each side of her, until they were before the iron doors of the throne room.

The leader stepped through the archway before, announcing her arrival.

"My mother is allowed entrance, always," Damon's voice echoed sharply around the room, "Let her in."

Persephone smirked as the guard scrambled back to hold open the entryway for her, and she brushed past the rest without restraint.

There was a line of weathered souls waiting in sullen aprehension for their eternal fate leading all the way to the very foot of the stairway that led up to the throne.

Damon sat there upon it, low flames of hellfire tethering the bottom of his black robes flaring against the side of the charred bones of the chair.

Elena sat across her husband's lap, small and delicate compared to him, but looking very much at home with the dagger she flipped in her hands.

Damon's palm rested against the small of her back, his other placed carefully on the armrest of the throne, ready to signal the fate of the next in line.

Persephone bowed her head respectfully and Damon motioned for her to approach.

He and Elena stood as she reached the platform, and she embraced them each.

"My son," she kissed Damon's cheek once he'd released her, "I have news. We must speak immediately. All of us."

Damon glanced at Elena, who nodded, then turned to his guard, "Mind the line. I'll return shortly."

The walked forward, cutting off the view of the souls, and Damon offered an arm to both his wife and his mother, leading them toward the wall and making a portal.

* * *

Stepping into the study outside of Damon's chambers, Elena released her husband's hold.

They'd occupied this room a few times over the past week, as he and some of the realm's advisors explained to her the workings of the Underworld, and her duties as it's Queen.

But now, the prior Queen stood before them, her brows drawn together with concern.

Damon turned to his mother once the portal was closed.

"We're alone here," he assured her, coming to stand next to Elena, "Now, what is this news?"

Persephone did not waste any time, "The white ravens on Olympus have heard things of late. Rumors of a plan, constructed by Ares, to reclaim his domain."

"Ares is blood bound," Damon argued, "At least, he will be. I've set for a meeting with him two days hence."

"Then I would urge you to postpone," Persephone insisted, "He is conspiring with the All-Mother. The raven has seen them together, talking about you and Elena."

"Talking about what, exactly?" Elena stepped forward as she sheathed the dagger that had been in her hands, "What does my father, or even Hera for that matter, believe that they can do to us? Damon's already demonstrated that we can't be killed."

Persephone shook her head, "I do not know what they plan, my ravens only recognized your names upon their tongues, but yesterday they held a meeting with Zeus. Something is happening."

Damon dropped into one of the large chairs, his arms resting on the sides as he splayed out in contemplation.

Elena frowned as she watched him, a slight concern rising in her chest, "But...we're safe, aren't we?"

Damon lifted his eyes to hers, before glancing over to his mother, then back again.

"Yes," he spoke firmly, offering her a smile, "Whatever Ares thinks he is planning, it won't come to pass. There is no way for him to kill you as long as I live, and no way for him to kill me without possessing power over the veil."

Persephone stepped forward then, "You are powerful, my son, but do not underestimate the gods of Olympus. Especially if Ares has inducted Hera to his cause. She will stop at nothing to have her way."

"We will be prepared," he assured her, "No one is getting into the Underworld without my knowledge and if any of the gods want to test my capabilities, they are more than welcome to. I will have their souls stripped and their bodies fed to Cerberus for the trouble they've caused me!"

As his voice grew heated, Elena noticed that his hands began to glow, leaving singe marks against the leather armrests.

Damon, realizing what he'd done, took a slow breath before continuing, "I appreciate the warning, Mother, and if it pleases you, I will postpone my meeting with Ares until my guard can investigate the matter...but I will not live in fear of the impending threat of Olympus."

Persephone sighed, giving them both a forlorn glance, "It's only a matter of time, Damon. I feel certain they will attack."

"And they will die," he promised, pulling himself to his feet.

At full height, he seemed to tower, his next words edged with the authority of his position, "If the mountain running red with the gods-blood is what it takes to dissuade the others from threatening my realm, my life, or that of my Queen's, then I am prepared to deliver."

Elena took his hand, noting the heat still simmering beneath his skin, "My father knows it would be suicidal to launch an attack on you. His domain is War. He knows better than to fight a losing battle."

"On that, we agree," he nodded, "You are his heir. Whether he forfeits the domain now or in few hundred years, it should make no difference. He would not risk death for this."

She squeezed his fingers, then glanced over at Persephone.

The goddess's shoulders had relaxed, but her obvious concern was still held in her eyes.

"I hope you are right," she reached forward and placed a hand on Damon's arm, "Just promise me you will consider caution in the days to come."

"Of course," he dropped Elena's hand so he could pull his mother close, enveloping into his chest, "Every decision I make is to better the realm; a task that requires much caution."

He kissed the top of her head, "And since we have broached the topic; maybe you should remain here for the time being, just as a safety measure. If you fear Ares is involving the others in some scheme, perhaps it's best."

Persephone smiled up at him, patting his cheek, "I hardly have need to fear. My own mother once turned the mortal realm barren to ensure my safe return to her. The gods, Zeus especially, will not ignite her anger or yours uncessessarily, by making an attempt on me."

"Yes," he agreed, "As sole inheritor of Demeter's domain, I imagine she would go to any lengths to protect you. Be that as it may, I would be at ease knowing you are here. The guards will be commanded to obey you as before, and you can help Elena in transition of being Queen."

Elena smirked at him, "I ask to send one measly human trafficker to Tartarus, and suddenly I'm not cut out for the job."

Her husband smiled at the reminder of their small argument, earlier that morning, "I allowed you to send him to the dungeons, didn't I?"

"Hardly a compromise," she pretended to pout and Damon shook his head, redirecting his attention to his mother.

"As I said," he reasoned, "Some transitional help could be applied."

"Standing right here," Elena muttered and this time, even Persephone chuckled, "I see the marriage is going well."

Elena met Damon's gaze and the two smirked.

"A whole week and I've only woken up to a blade in my back once," he teased, sitting back against the arm of the sofa.

"You were snoring," Elena countered, which earned her a dirty look from her husband, "I do not snore."

She shrugged, "Breathing heavy then, whichever."

"Well, perhaps if you didn't throw all the blankets over my head-"

"You know, most others complain of their spouses stealing all the sheets-"

"Most other spouses don't literally stab you for breathing."

"Oh, come on," she argued, "If running my sword through your abdomen didn't kill you, I doubt a tiny dagger would."

Damon just shook his head, as his mother glanced between them with amusement.

"Glad things are working themselves out," she offered with an arched brow, "I will leave you to sort through the details. If I am going to be spending time here, I need to prepare for my absence in Demeter's domain."

"Send her my regards," Damon smirked, as Persephone placed a kiss on his cheek.

"And risk her joining whatever cause Ares has taken up against you?" she retorted.

Damon shrugged and with a final shake of her head, Persephone bid them farewell and left the room.

* * *

"Don't tell me your grandmother hates you too?" Elena teased, once they were alone.

Damon opened his arms to her and she crossed over to him, " _Grandmother_ is not a term recognized in the gods-realm, my sweet. You know that."

Not allowing the change of subject, Elena stared at him and waited.

Damon's eyes rolled goodnaturedly and he sighed, holding her tighter, "Demeter has no problem with me as long as she can ignore my existence or the fact that I am what yet ties my mother to this domain."

"Your father did that," Elena amended.

"He did, and for it, Demeter hates the part of me that is him."

Elena frowned, "That's not fair."

"Fair," he laughed dryly, "Another term not recognized by the gods-realm."

"Damon."

He rubbed her back to stop the protest, "I am my father's son, Elena. More like him every year in looks and power. These things can not be changed...however," he span her so fast, she lost her footing and ended up in his lap, "I know a few things that can be."

His mouth found her neck and a trail of lazy kisses started across her skin, "And I'd much rather spend my energy focused on that."

"I don't think now is...," her eyes closed as his teeth grazed over the spot his lips had just touched.

She tried again, "What...what about the line? The souls?"

But her protests were faint even to her own ears, as his hands began working their way beneath the skirt of her dress.

"They will wait for their king."

* * *

Damon knew the moment he had won his bride over, for her reluctance bled away to eager fingers that dug into his shoulders and her mouth came against his in a heated wave of hunger.

He scooped her into his arms, molding her body to his.

Still kissing, he stumbled across the study with her, their backs meeting walls along the way, knocking over end tables, and tripping over books until they reached his bedroom door.

He used power to throw the thing open, then again to lock it shut behind them as he bit down on Elena's lip.

He wasn't sure they were going to make it to the bed, and settled for using the nearest wall to hold her against.

Her fingers flew to his hair, grasping his locks so hard he hissed, and her mouth moved down to ravish his neck.

Damon felt her teeth bite into his skin, and groaned at the delicious slice of pain it caused.

When she started to give the other side of his throat the same treatment, he roughly yanked on her own dark tendrils, until Elena lifted her face upward, allowing him to reconnect their lips.

He kissed her hard, forcing his tongue into her mouth as he pinned her body with his hips.

She growled, and bit down on his lip until the taste of blood pooled between them.

He released her then, and found the will to drag them the few feet over to the bed, desperate to have them joined properly.

* * *

Once surrounded by the silk canopy, Damon descended upon his Queen, holding her body down to the mattress as he pressed himself into her every curve.

It took very little effort to rip away the remnants of her dress, and he even managed to unhook her thigh sheath with a single hand.

Elena returned the attention to his neck as her hands made busy work of his own dressings, until they were both blissfully freed.

He entered her in one hard thrust, and her cry of pleasure echoed off the ceiling above them.

A sound that was repeated again and again as he increased his tempo, slamming into her hard enough to make her whimper with pleas.

But he knew better than to stop, or even slow down.

Elena could handle everything he could give her, and more to the point, his War Queen preferred it rough.

He grabbed the hands currently ripping apart the skin of his sides and pinned them above her head, relishing in the control she let him have.

"Gods, Damon," his name came out as a pant from her lips.

He leaned down, brushing a kiss on her lips before trailing further, letting his teeth nip down her neck, collarbone, and breast hard enough to draw blood.

She fought his hold on her wrists, digging her nails into his hands, but her hips were raised, trying to match his pace.

"Fuck," he moaned against her skin when she tightened around him.

Her pleasure brought forth his own, and the world began to shatter seconds later as he drove into her.

She screamed his name as she peaked, and he lasted only seconds longer, collapsing on top of her once the waves passed.

* * *

For moments, they laid there, in the darkness, letting sense reclaimed them, as their breathing slowed and their heartbeats returned to normal.

Then Elena chuckled beneath him.

"What?" he asked her thickly, moving so that his dead weight was lifted from her body.

Elena rolled so that she hovered above him, "Just noting how vigorously you are attempting to secure the benefits of our contract for yourself. How many times a day do you think it takes to sprout ones seed?"

He smirked down at her, "Are you complaining? I thought most women would enjoy reaching an orgasm five...or is it six now? Six times a day? And it is still relatively early, you know."

Refusing to give him the satisfaction of admitting her pleasure, Elena simply rolled her eyes, "And four for you now, my King, if I'm keeping count. Careful, or you might go through a withdrawal, once I am actually with child."

Damon paused for a moment, his brows furrowing, "You think pregnancy will stop me from wanting to take your body?"

"Maybe I'm hoping," she challenged, with a small teasing smile.

Damon called her bluff, "Or maybe you're lying."

With a laugh, she wrapped her arms around his neck, drawing him close once more, "Maybe you'll never know."

He kissed her softly, thinking that he might be okay with not knowing everything there was to know about his bride...as long as he had eternity to try and figure her out.

* * *

 **There ya go :) Some smutty goodness to try and make up for the long pause in updates lol.**

 **Hope ya'll enjoyed!**


	17. Chapter 17

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* * *

Elena reached out her hand, holding a piece of raw meat between her fingers.

The hellhound closest to her appeared curious, but refused to come close enough to take the food she offered.

When she stepped closer, it let out a low growl.

She concentrated, staring hard into its eyes, willing her power to work on the creature.

Eventually, it's hackles relaxed and it did come closer.

"There you go," she purred to it, "No danger at all. See? Just food."

A few more steps, and it was eating from her hand, literally.

"As I said," she smiled, glancing behind her, "They like me."

Persephone arched a brow, "Using your ability to turn guard dogs into pets, I see."

"Damon already treats them like pets," Elena argued, "I've had to chase Rhal and Kava off the bed every night this week."

The older goddess smiled at that.

"Kava has always been Damon's favorite," she admitted, moving to stand next to Elena as the hound ran back to where the others were playing, "She used to sleep at the foot of his crib when he was little. It was the only way I could stop him from crying on some nights."

Elena smirked, "It's difficult to imagine that Damon was ever an infant."

Persephone laughed, "I suppose it is, now. But I assure you, he was once. Raising him has been the greatest joy of my life."

A wistful expression crossed her face, and Elena frowned a little, looking back at the dogs.

Having the relationship that Hades had forced Persephone into would have made being a mother all the more difficult, she could imagine, but for reasons unknown, she detected nothing of resentment in the way the goddess treated her son.

Damon was cherished by his mother, that much was obvious, and held her in equal standing.

She wondered if she would ever manage to feel as strongly about a child of her own.

Would she be watching over the babe as it slept in its own crib, another hellhound at the base for comfort…

Maybe she would sing to it.

She'd always liked it when her own mother had done that for her during the long storm nights on Olympus.

* * *

"You have a look," Persephone's voice called her attention.

Elena blinked, then looked over at her, "What look?"

The goddess smiled softly, "A look that speaks of a desire to know what it might be like to have your own child one day. That is what you want, isn't it?"

A humourless laugh escaped her, "I suppose I'd better. It's part of the deal I made with Damon."

"You bargained with him for an offspring?"

"No," she corrected, "He bargained with me for an heir."

When passive concern clouded the former Queen's face, Elena shook it off, "You were the one who made the suggestion that I compromise with him. Damon wanted a child. Though for my life I can not truly understand why he would risk passing his power on to another, when it is the one thing guaranteeing his safety."

"He did not voice his intent when making the deal?"

Elena shrugged, "If words of love and desire are proof of intent. It was also made note of that our child would be inheritor to three domains of the gods-realm...but in the time I have known him, Damon has never before spoken of this monopolization, so I'm not sure why that would matter."

Persephone's head crooked as she considered the point.

"Perhaps it does not," she reasoned, "It could be a much simpler rational. Damon is King. Kings need heirs."

"But he can not die. He is the only god who truly can not."

Persephone shook her head, "That is the theory. Damon controls the veil, so he controls death itself...but I will tell you a secret, child; something I learned from my own mother. Nothing is immortal. Nothing lives forever. Time is a concept to the human realm, so we are unaffected in that way, but we are little more than beings of creation and power ourselves."

"But we have ruled for millennium," Elena argued.

"And the Titans ruled for millennium before that. Before them?" She gave Elena a pointed look, "Gaia, Mother Earth, and Uranus, Father Sky, who was born of Gaia still. So where did Gaia come from? Legends speak of a void that spit her forth, but too many moons passed to know for sure. However, you can bet that each and every creature of power once believed that they were eternal, and yet, they were not. We are not. It is a revelation we will be forced to accept when we are destroyed by our own arrogance."

She reached down to the bucket near their feet and grabbed a piece of flank meat, tossing it to the hounds who were play fighting each other across the room.

Elena pondered her words, and could see the wisdom in the.

"You believe that Damon's desire for a child stems from his acceptance of imminent doom?" she asked, sounding a little off put.

Persephone chuckled, "Not exactly. But perhaps there is something primal in the notion of having the security of bloodlines. A tether in whatever way, to mark the existence of something beyond yourself. Damon loves you. He loves his domain. A child would be the embodiment of that love, his legacy in living form."

Elena wanted to argue, or say something teasing in return, but could speak no words.

Because the goddess made sense.

"Can you say you do not have a similar desire? To rise above what the others have made you, to imprint yourself so impermanently on Olympus that no one could dare doubt your existence in the folds of fate?"

"You believe a child encompasses all of that?" she arched a brow, pretending the answer did not hold weight for her.

However, the former Queen was not fooled.

With a knowing look, she gave a nod, "I do, for my son is everything to me. My very life. He became my entire purpose and being from his birth, changing my life irrevocably, as it had been for my mother when I was born. Maternal love is a bond, Elena; one not easily broken."

"A weakness," she huffed, "A love like that can be used against you. It makes you vulnerable."

"In a way," Persephone agreed, "But it also makes you strong. There is nothing you are not capable of doing for your child. There is power in that."

Power.

Elena let the word hang between them, but considered the statement.

If the bond was so strong, so unbreakable, perhaps her own mother would have-

A thought struck her suddenly.

"Is Damon still in the Dungeons?"

"He should be," Persephone said, blinking at the change in tone, "Is everything alright?"

Elena nodded, lifting the bucket of meat from the floor, "I have an idea. We need to speak with him. Come with me?"

The Queen Mother seemed confused, but agreed easily and Elena started toward the kennel doors.

"Here," she gave the bucket to the guard standing post, "Finish feeding them."

He bowed in acknowledgement of the order, and allowed them to pass.

* * *

The shadows casted by torch light played off of Damon's face as he awaited an response from the god whose back was facing him.

The Dungeons of the Damned were one of his less favorite places in the realm, but the current appointment had required a personal presence.

"Well," he inquired after a final moment of silence, "I haven't all day. Either you are up to the task, or I will find someone else who is."

Slowly, his guest turned around, the god's large body taking up nearly all the space of the isle they stood in.

"The task, I can do," he spat in a smoke rasped voice, "But I heard about the troubles on the mountain, and I can imagine why you want the cells reinforced. I'm not to keen to get involved."

Damon smiled darkly, "No? Well, if you ask me, you should be thanking me for the opportunity, Hephaestus."

"How do you figure that?" the god growled, his big fist clenching.

Damon glanced over to the nearest cell, and reached out a hand to run down the aged metal holdings, "If what you assume you know is true...who do you think will be the first prisoner I have chained to that wall?"

Hephaestus stared at him cautiously, but relaxed his hands, "You think this cell could hold the god of War?"

Damon shrugged, "I suppose that depends on the quality of work it is refurbished with."

The god grunted.

"Let's not play with pretenses," Damon urged, "You are the best there is with a forge, in any realm. Your weaponry and metalwork are unparallelled. I am not asking you to get involved with my disputes, but to understand that if you were to reinforce these bars, it would be to the purpose of having Ares locked behind them."

A slow smirk broke his stiff expression, "I've heard of your arrogance, Son of Hades, but you surpass expectations. Bet you're counting on the fact that I hate the War god enough to do this for you, instead of going straight to the twelve with your intentions."

Damon exhaled wearily, "Forgive me, Hephaestus, but Ares impregnated your wife in your own marriage bed and has been repeatedly fucking her since," that earned him a snarl, but he hardly cared, "As I said, no pretenses. You _do_ hate him."

Silence fell between the two, until the god took a slow step forward.

The hellhound being held by a guard member behind them snapped its jaws as he approached, but Damon waved the beast down.

"It's quite alright," he assured, both the hound, and the guard who was ready to step between them, "The god of fire is here to help us...aren't you?"

There was no love in the man's glare, but his head did give a slight nod.

"No pretenses," he agreed, "I'd like to see the son of a bitch rot in a cage I've built...but whatever plan you have set, Aphrodite is left out of it. I won't see her harmed because of these...disputes."

Damon lifted a brow in surprise, "You would protect her still?"

"She's still my wife, isn't she," he snapped, "Your word, Son of Hades, and we have a deal."

Damon nodded, "Alright. My word that she will not be harmed, so long as she does nothing to harm Elena."

" _Ares_ bastard," Hephaestus hissed.

" _My_ wife," Damon snarled back, moving right into the man's face, "Whom I will not tolerate any threat against. Is that understood?"

The two stared each other down, until finally, the fire god huffed deeply and stepped back, "Alright. My wife's protection; conditional to that of your own...when do you want me to start?"

Damon smiled, "Be here at dawn. I will send guards to escort you."

* * *

The god began to speak again, but was abruptly interrupted by the grinding shift of the chained doors leading out of the dungeon.

It opened to a pager who bowed deeply, "Your Grace. The Queen and your mother are-"

"We hardly need an announcement," Elena's voice carried through as she appeared in the doorway, Persephone directly behind her.

Damon straightened at the sight, motioning them forward.

"I wasn't expecting you down here," he crooned as she placed a short kiss on his jaw in greeting.

"I know. But I wanted to speak with you. I wasn't sure if…"

She trailed off, having noticed their guest.

"Hephaestus," she swallowed, "You're here...in the Underworld…"

A mixture of emotions played out in the gods expression as he stared at her.

A seething hatred paired with a soft admiration, no doubt because she so resembled the goddess he loved...a goddess who had bared a daughter for another.

"He was just leaving," Damon explained, inclining his head toward the guard holding his hound, "Have this gentleman escorted back to the gates."

Hephaestus gave a careless half bow as he reluctantly drug his eyes from Elena, "Tomorrow then, your Majesty."

"Tomorrow," Damon agreed, and stood aside so the god could follow the guard through the doors.

* * *

Elena turned to him the moment he was out of sight, "Explain. Now."

"Taking precaution," he told her, with a glance to his mother, "Hephaestus is going to reinforce the dungeon so we can be certain it will hold one of the gods-blood."

Elena stiffened, "You mean my father?"

"I mean anyone who dares take action against us," he corrected, "Hephaestus is the best at what he does. By the time these cages are finished, they could hold Zeus himself."

"A bold claim," his mother warned, but Damon could only grin, "I know. But you seemed insistent that we take safety measures. This is me doing that."

Elena placed a hand on his arm, regaining his attention, "Speaking of safety measures...I had a thought. Something I feel we should discuss."

"Alright?"

She took a quick glance around, "Not here...can we go to our chambers?"

He nodded, taking her hand in his own, "Of course."

* * *

It didn't take long for Elena to explain the thought that she'd had.

It took even less time for Damon to shoot it down.

"Absolutely not."

"Damon, it's-"

"Unnecessary."

"But she might know something! This could help us!"

"No."

Persephone said nothing as they argued, and Elena crossed her arms in annoyance.

It was a good plan, despite what her husband thought of the matter.

Everything she'd discussed with the other goddess earlier before made her realize that she might of been too quick to disregard her own mother as a potential ally.

Aphrodite, in spite of all her faults, had loved her for her entire life.

The goddess blamed Elena's misgivings on Ares, and had been unsettled when they had last spoken in public.

She did not want to stand against her daughter.

And Elena believed that that could be enough to sway Aphrodite into helping them.

Or at the very least offering intel into what Ares was planning.

"She loves me, Damon," she insisted with slow words.

Damon shook his head, "She loves Ares, too. The risk is too great, and if you think I'm going to let you wander Olympus for anyone to-"

"Bold of you to assume you _let_ me do anything," she cut him off, "But that's not what I am suggesting. We can have her summoned here."

His eyes bore into hers, unrelenting.

"Gods, Damon...just give me the chance to talk to her!"

Silence fell for a second, then he sighed, leaning back against the bedpost, "What if you're wrong?"

"There is nothing she can do to me here," Elena insisted, walking forward to take his hands, "You will be at my side."

He still didn't seem convinced, but Persephone chose to speak up then, "It might be worth it, Damon. Holding the meet in our domain gives you the advantage of control. Aphrodite will come...for Elena."

Elena nodded, "Exactly. Besides, what's the worst that could happen? There is no way she could impose a threat to us here. And why would she? But she might be able to give us some insight. Let us know what it is we are up against."

Damon was silent again, his decision being weighed as he held her gaze, his fingers drifting absentmindedly to her face.

He pushed back her hair before cupping her cheek with his hand.

"Fine," he caved, "Hephaestus was hoping I could secure her safety anyway."

Elena smiled, as he squeezed her chin between his fingers, "But you know the chance you're taking, don't you, if your wrong? You are asking her to choose between you and Ares, and loyalty has never been her forte. You might not get the answer you want...are you prepared for that?"

Elena considered his words, and the possibility that he might be right.

"No," she said truthfully, "But it doesn't change anything. If she refuses to help us, at least I will know the truth I've always feared. Truly no one on Olympus give a damn about me...and you can rest soundly knowing that I would never have anything to leave you for."

His expression was unappreciative, but she had only been half joking.

Not that she ever planned on leaving him.

Her vows were eternal, and being married to Damon was better than she could have ever anticipated, but Olympus was still the home of her childhood.

She did not envy the pain that the absolute abandonment of it might cause her.

"It's better that we know," she reworded, covering Damon's hand with her own, "And there's still a chance she will help us."

He nodded slowly, "Let us pray she does."

"Thank you."

* * *

Damon let Elena drop his palm as she offered him a small smile, that stole the breath from his chest.

He truly wanted her to be right, if only to spare her the heartache of disappointment.

Aphrodite was fickle and selfish, a little like Elena herself on occasion, but he knew that it was from the years of learning to survive at her mother's side.

But maybe that could be made up for now, with this meeting.

Elena turned to his mother, then, nothing but respect in her dark eyes, "And I need to thank you, for your advice. I only hope my mother cares an inch for me of what you care for Damon. I am glad you are here with us."

Persephone's lips parted in a smile of her own as she crossed the space between them, taking Elena in her arms.

The two embraced and it brought Damon more joy than he cared to admit to witness the bond forming between the two people he loved most in the word.

"I am glad to be here," Persephone admitted, patting Elena's cheek when they separated, "And I am proud to see how well you've adapted to this role. Queen suits you."

Elena laughed, "Yes, well, as it has been pointed out, I still need assistance in transition, and I am honored to have your counsel, not to mention your support."

"Truth be told, I was worried," Persephone smirked over at Damon, "When I first learned of what he had done, bringing you here...but perhaps you are exactly what this realm needs...and the reckoning Olympus deserves."

Damon pulled his bride back to his side, placing a kiss on her head.

"They will learn to respect those which they have so easily disregarded," he promised, "And if they insist on trying to challenge Hades, I am prepared to give them the war they so naively believe they can win."

"If it comes to that," Persephone reasoned, "There might yet still be hope that Ares can be persuaded...if Aphrodite aligns with us…"

"I wouldn't count on it," Elena warned, wrapping an arm around Damon's waist as she settled into his side, "Once my father makes up his mind about something, it is impossible to change it. If it is a fight that he's after, he'll guarantee that he gets it, and it won't matter who he tramples over in the process."

"He's tenacious, I'll give him that," Damon mused, "But you understand him and his domain. He trained you, well, too well. Then traded you to me the moment it suited him. He's going to regret that."

Elena hit his chest, "You were the one who brokered that deal, you know."

"A necessity," he insisted, "Seeing as you are just as stubborn as he is, and it was the only way I could gain the advantage I needed to get you here, with me. Either way, I got the better bargain. And after everything he's done, I figure he owes you some compensation."

Persephone nodded her own agreement, "The domain of War should be passed to Elena by birthright anyway...but if Ares can convince other gods to rally behind him.."

"Then we will deal with them," Damon stated, "I have my power, I have cages, I have Cerberus, and Elena is renowned with that sword of hers. Olympus won't stand a chance."

His mother could not argue that, and Elena settled her head contently against his chest, only making him feel more certain that he was doing the right thing.

He would give her everything he promised.

He would make her happy.

Even if he had to claim every single domain in the gods-realm to do it.

* * *

 **:)**


	18. Chapter 18

**Seeing how long I can keep this consistency up lol.**

 **Super long chapter for you guys, since we reached over 1,000 reviews! Enjoy!**

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"You're nervous," Damon murmured from where he still laid on the bed, the thick canopy pulled aside.

Elena stared at his reflection in the mirror before her, "And you're still not clothed."

He pulled himself up onto his elbows, the muscles of his stomach clenching in a tempting way, "I much prefer watching you, my sweet. That dress is stunning, by the way. It suits you."

Elena sighed, smoothing down the long, blood red silk.

It was more restricting than she would have prefered, tightly pressing against her body until it flared by her calves, but it wasn't as if she would need to attack anyone today.

Aphrodite had accepted the summon Damon had sent her, and would arrive within the hour for a meeting.

And with what they needed to discuss, it would not do to appear simply as a warrior.

Elena needed to look like a Queen.

"Why are you nervous?" Damon spoke again, standing now.

He tied a robe around his waist before moving behind her.

When his palms rested against the swell of her hips, Elena leaned her weight back against him.

"You assume much."

He laughed quietly, his chest vibrating against her back, "I will also assume that there is a reason you are deflecting the question."

He lifted his a hand to where she had pinned her hair to the side of her head.

With a gentle pull, the tugged it loose, "Wear it down."

The curls fell, framing her face, and in the mirror their eyes met.

Her lips began moving before she thought to stop them, "The last time my mother was here, she was on the counsel that was trying to kill me."

She turned in his arms, staring up to hold his gaze, "What if you were right and this was a mistake?"

"Are you doubting your decision to ask her here?" he studied her expression and Elena sighed, "No. Maybe...I'm not sure. I think I'm doubting what her answer might be."

Damon's fingers ran through her hair, pushing it back as he cradled her face.

"She is your mother," he agreed, stroking her skin, "But you are no longer a child, Elena. You have grown beyond her domain, beyond her limitations. You are with me now, and she can not threaten you...or is it her rejection you fear? Her judgment? Is it that somehow you still feel lesser to the goddess who deemed you bastard?"

Elena's lips pulled off of her teeth as she scowled, "Enough. I do not fear her. I...I just…I need her to be a means to an end in our favor. A favor she might reject if she believes our intentions impure...I have to be prepared for that," she turned away from his touch, back to the mirror.

Her face blended attributes of both her parents, her very blood a concoction of the love they had shared.

"Perhaps I am foolish to think she would turn against my father."

Damon's hand touched her shoulder lightly.

"Do you still want the War domain?"

Her brown eyes flashed up to his reflection.

"Yes," she stated firmly, "It's the least that Ares deserves for what he has done."

"And your mother's domain?" Damon pressed, "Do you want that too?"

Elena frowned at the question, "No. I want what I have always wanted. Respect. To be able to walk through the gods-realm without meeting downcasted eyes. I want the voices that whisper when I pass to choke on their judgemental words. I want Zeus, and Hera, and the rest of the twelve to regret the day they decided a bastard was not worthy of the gods-blood! That's what I want; the dignity that you promised to help me gain. They owe us at least that, after everything they've done to cast us aside and make us inferior."

Damon's chin was high as he listened to her words.

His fingers clamped her shoulders, spinning her to face him once more, and did not let go, even when they were practically nose to nose.

"I have told you that my power is yours," he spoke fiercely, "You are able to act as my word and will, and I want you to have everything you desire. However, before we decide to march upon Olympus itself in vengeance, you might consider the fact that you are no longer bound to them or their ways."

"Damon-"

His fingers tightened, "No, listen to me. You are free here, Elena. You will have the respect you deserve and I would cross the veil with anyone who would dare offend you. Have I not proven that to you? But we can let the might of Olympus slander, compete, and measure itself. You no longer need their acceptance."

He gripped the back of her neck, bringing their foreheads together, "I would drag them all from their thrones if it would make you happy, but it will not. Not until you learn that your worth does not come from their approval."

Elena shoved against his chest until he released her and took a step back.

Anger spurned in her heart.

"I do not care how worthy they find me," she snapped at him, "This is about retribution for their hypocrisy and judgement, not about the esteem in which I hold _myself_!"

"Isn't it?" Damon challenged with barely a rise to his voice, "You speak with pride and confidence, yet have built walls around yourself thick against anything that might remind you that you are not like the other gods, no matter how much you wish differently. Olympus will remain as it always has without a complete regime reconstruction, and there is nothing you can do to change that."

Her eyes narrowed to slits, "So you're saying I should let it go? Accept the fact that I am nothing more than a tolerated shame while they sit atop the mountain able to do whatever they please."

"No," he corrected, "I suggest that you unharbor the anger of your youth long enough to understand your new position...because here, you are not a bastard. You are not a shame."

He descended upon her, dragging her against him before she even had a moment to protest against his hold.

"Here, you are Queen, Elena," Damon tilted her chin up slightly so that their eyes could meet, and his were unwavering, "You are inferior to no one."

She closed her eyes, letting herself sink into his chest, and his arms wrapped securely around her.

"I hate this," she growled against him, "I feel as if my every insecurity and doubt is so easy for you to guess."

He placed a kiss atop her head, "In all fairness, my love, I have known you for years and I quite literally held your soul in my hands. Understanding you is not difficult after that."

With a sigh, she nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck, "I hate you."

He smiled into her hair, "I know...however, I hope that that doesn't mean you will deny a gift."

"A gift?" Elena pulled away suspiciously, "You've gotten me something?"

"No contracts attached," Damon assured her, letting go so he could walk to his desk.

From a drawer, he removed a velvet box, bigger than both his hands.

"I know jewelry is not your style, but I did hope you might like this," he said, crossing the space between them.

When he opened the container, Elena's jaw dropped slightly.

The necklace inside was so beautiful it almost seemed unreal, and she didn't have to be rehearsed in adornments to know that it was expensive.

Verily so.

"It is breathtaking," she admitted, lifting a finger to one of the shimmering stones, "And...cold...are they diamonds?"

"Not exactly," he admitted, turning the box so he could remove the necklace from its casing, "The gems are from the gods-realm, not the mortal one. Storm stones, formed when charged lightning hit the heart of Poseidon's Sea. They remain as cold as the ocean."

He motioned for her to turn, and slipped the jews around her neck once she had.

She lifted her hair so he could fasten the clasp.

"Poseidon's son, Orion, had them set into a necklace, as a gift for his lover; a mortal princess. From her, it was passed down through the ages. Chain of Ice, the ancients called it. Many royals have killed to get their hands on it."

Elena's brow arched as she admired the shimmering stones.

Ice, indeed.

"Do I want to know how it ended up here?"

Damon smirked, "A prince too soon dead used the Αλυσίδα πάγου to barter with my father. I suppose he thought the gems might impress my mother, but she was never too keen on receiving gifts from him, as they hardly ever came without attachments."

"Persephone never wore them, then?"

"No," Damon turned her around, "And they have waited too long to adorn the throat of a Queen once more...you should have them."

Elena reached up to her neck, touching the chain once more.

"Thank you...assuming there are no _attachments_?"

Damon pretended to think, "I wouldn't turn away a kiss."

Elena's eyes rolled, but a smile broke across her mouth.

"Fine," she agreed, "One kiss for the priceless jewels."

* * *

Damon did not need to be told twice.

He pulled her into his arms and captured her lips with his own.

Elena let her body melt against him, suddenly wishing that they had more time to properly see the notion through, but for now, this tease of desire would have to do.

When he broke away, Elena sighed, leaning against him so that their faces still touched.

She wished they could delay a moment longer, hold of the impending dread that would soon await, on the chance she had to resort to her alternative plan.

But as he'd said, she was Queen.

And this needed to be done...no matter the cost.

"Do you think she will betray him?"

She didn't have to explain that she was speaking about her mother.

Damon was silent for a moment, before giving her an answer, "No, I don't, but I can not say with certainty. She will not support your cause against Ares, but I would not wager that she truly wants you harmed, either. I suppose we will just have to hear what she says on the matter."

Elena nodded as he pulled away to meet her gaze, "However, I can promise you retribution if she acts against you."

A pause of consideration, the air between them thick with the threat.

But eventually, Elena exhaled her agreement.

"You are my husband, and I am Queen. This is my realm, and we will add my inheritance to it. Anyone willing to stand in our way is my enemy, and will be shown no mercy. Not even my mother."

* * *

Aphrodite had been to the Underworld on a total of three occasions.

Once, when she had been a young girl, following the dare of other foolish children, and she had gotten no further than the gated entrance before being discovered and brought before Hades.

The god of the Underworld, whom she had learned to fear in her short years of existence, had merely been annoyed by her presence, and had sent her back to the mountain with a threat to Zeus about making sure she did not wander there again.

The message was unnecessary, for she had never had the desire to return.

The Underworld was the opposite of everything she surrounded herself with.

Dark and daunting, with black halls and horrifying sounds that had frightened her.

It was a place of death.

She had happily avoided it for many years past, until Hades had met his demise.

The twelve had entered the realm to pay their respects and to take into account the new King.

Damon had surprised them all.

On the last occasion she'd found herself present in this forsaken place, had been for Elena's trial.

Her anger had burned stronger than her fear, that the child she trusted and loved would act out so selfishly.

Zeus had been the one to demand a full counsel, and it wasn't until it was too late, that Aphrodite realized why.

Elena had never been accepted on Olympus.

The all-Father had given Aphrodite to Hephaestus in good faith, and Elena's existence was a scorn to the gesture that Zeus could not forgive.

After all, if he could not control the gods beneath him, how could he deem himself King?

Elena's impulsive choice finally gave the him an excuse to get rid of her, once and for all, in hopes of erasing the reminder that goddesses were allowed to make choices of their own.

The entrance to Hades was exactly as she remembered it, when she arrived with the guards that had been sent.

Two of her own hand-maidens had joined her as well, and they seemed even more fearful than she felt.

Especially when a low growl emitted from the dark beyond the open archway.

One of the guard stepped forward, just as a great beast emerged into the space before them.

Cerberus. Damon's three-headed snarling hound of hell.

With razor teeth and enough menace to kill them where they stood, Aphrodite had no doubt that he creature was good at his job.

The guard moved forward, saying something to the hound in an old language.

Something forgotten by time that swirled the tongue and soothed the growls into a low grumble.

The dog approached no further, and they were permitted to pass.

Beyond the gate, was the mouth of a river, sprouting with a current, leading through to more darkness.

A boat awaited them.

After climbing on and getting settled, Aphrodite glanced over to the waves below.

No light reflected from the water, making it appear black as ink.

"The River Styx," one of the guards warned her, "Wouldn't lean too far over the edge of the boat. There are things in that water that might find you mighty tasty."

She swallowed thicky, but did slide further toward the centerpoint.

A ferryman waited patiently, face hidden with ancient robes, until the guard offered payment.

Then they were moving, the darkness encompassing them until the entrance was completely out of sight.

Aphrodite closed her eyes.

She did not want to see what was splashing gently up ahead, the ferryman's poor glowing lantern the only source of radiance.

Nor did she wish to take sight of the bones left behind from other "tasty" snacks the monsters of the river had enjoyed in the past.

It was easier, just to pretend she was not where she was, until eventually the boat came to a stop.

They had reached the river's edge, and here the cavern was brighter, torch lights aligning the walls around them, giving off warmth as well as illumination.

"We will go to the throne room now," the guard spoke gruffly as they exited the boat, "Their majesties are awaiting your arrival."

Majesty.

Aphrodite shook her head at the word.

Her daughter was Queen. Married to the Lord of Death and residing in this hell.

Perhaps it was what she deserved, after her actions of late, though keeping to the path she had chosen was jeopardizing her safety.

Not that Elena would care about that.

The girl always did whatever she desired, despite the risks it might bring.

That was her father's nature in her.

The path to the throne room was a tabernacle of skeletons and clay, the walls seeming to stretch forever through endless turns and discouraging warning sounds.

But eventually, they did reach their destination; a magnificent set of iron doors that stretched as high as the ceiling itself, opened by the guard who made the announcement of their arrival.

* * *

The throne room was different than she remembered.

Before, it had been cleared for the trial, witnesses of Olympus brought in and death pushed aside for the justice.

Now, it stood in full glory, the round stones reflecting the hellfire that contained swimming souls in a nearby pool.

Servants, helots, and demonic entities tarried around the walls, in the high rafters, in the space between the throne and where she stood, bringing her eyes to the stairs that led up to the platform itself.

Her eyes fell upon her daughter then, who was sitting on the throne with her head high; dark stare reproachful.

She did not appear as she had when Aphrodite had last seen her.

Gone were Ares influence of leathers and weapons, and in their place was a Goddess wrapped in dark silk the color of fire and blood.

Her hair falling around her exposed shoulders in sleek curls, and on her neck…

Aphrodite could hardly believe it…the Αλυσίδα πάγου.

The necklace had gone missing from the mortal realm centuries ago, thought to be buried with the last royal who had worn it, yet it hung at Elena's throat, the glow reflecting in her eyes.

A movement drew her attention from the necklace; a hand, placed on Elena's shoulder.

Aphrodite followed it to the Son of Hades, who stood beside her daughter.

Robes as black as the Styx were tethered around his waist and he loomed over the room with an air of commandment.

"You are dismissed," Damon spoke first, to the guards that had escorted her and her two maidens, then louder, to the rest, "All of you!"

The room scrambled, clearing out of the way so that a path was left to the bottom of the platform.

Aphrodite took the hint and walked forward, as Damon took Elena's hand and helped her to her feet, before starting down the stairs.

The couple stopped a few steps short of the base, and Aphrodite inclined her head to the King, "You summoned?"

"Thank you for coming," Elena finally spoke, and Aphrodite nodded, "Of course. Though, I was surprised by the invitation."

"And I am surprised that you seem to have forgotten proper decorum, my lady," Damon interrupted.

His expression was cold and deadly, "It is custom to bow, before addressing the Queen of the realm."

Aphrodite exhaled slowly, glancing from him to her daughter, who's eyes were also on him.

"Yes," she agreed reluctantly, dropping into a curtsey, "As is custom."

Damon gave a nod of acceptance, before turning to Elena, "You were saying, my love."

Elena seemed to take a breath, then her eyes were back on Aphrodite's, as serious as her husband's had been.

"There are matters we must discuss. If you would accept, I would invite you to dinner."

"Dinner?" she had not been expecting that.

"Nothing grown from the Underworld," Elena promised, "This is not an entrapment. I just wish to speak with you."

Aphrodite considered the offer, then nodded slowly, "Alright. I suppose I could partake."

Elena smiled a little at the acceptance, "Good."

She whirled around to one of the servants, the bottom of her gown swishing about as she moved, "Go to the kitchens. Tell them to have the meal we discussed brought to the dining hall, ready to serve."

"Yes, your Grace," the servant sank lowy in a bow, before scurrying off.

Elena took Damon's hand into her own, and beckoned to her mother, "Follow us."

* * *

Damon had to admire the role his wife had taken.

He still got the impression that she wanted to impress her mother for some reason, but he could not deny that the confidence in which she flaunted her position only made her more attractive.

It would be best to have this meeting finished, so he could be alone with her once more.

They entered the dining hall as the feast was spread down the table, the silverware aligned next to marbled china.

Aphrodite commanded her lady's maids to wait with the other servants along the walls as they all took their seats.

"As much as I appreciate the hospitality," the goddess began once they were settled, "I would assume you'd like to address my reason for being here?"

Elena nodded, "Yes, I would."

Her eyes flickered over to his, and he smiled at her in encouragement.

"I assume you know that I have asked Ares for his domain," she continued, gaze turning back to her mother now.

"Asked?" Aphrodite rose a brow as a servant filled their wine glasses, "Demanded, the way I was told."

"Details that matter not," Elena brushed away the sentiment, "What does matter is that Ares is conspiring with others of the Twelve. My name has been mentioned; and Damon's. I assumed that if anyone might know what he has planned, it would be you."

Damon watched the goddess, who stiffened in her seat.

"Me?"

"You know all the rumors of Olympus," Elena noted, "And you know my father."

Aphrodite's expression clouded, "I know that you threatened to have him killed, had he not given into your demands. I suppose he only has himself to blame; hardening your heart so greatly that you could-"

"Stop blaming him for what I am!" Elena snapped, "You want to keep my memory pure by insisting everything dark in me spurs from his training, but it is a lie! Ares wanted nothing to do with me until the day I ran a sword through the heart of the warrior he'd ordered to remove me from his mansion. I wanted to learn the art of his domain, the power of my blood that I did not understand. _Me_. Not him. Toss aside your illusions so that we may speak honestly with one another."

Aphrodite exhaled slowly and took a sip of her wine, "You want honesty, my child. Alright. I have heard more than rumor from the lips of Ares himself. He is not going to surrender, it is not in his nature. You know that...now do yourself a favor, Elena, and stop this childish need to have your way. Ares domain is not yours to claim; not yet."

Elena sat forward in her chair, "My desire for my father's domain is more than selfish gain. It is punishment against the man who was willing to pay a blood debt with my life. Who stripped me of any choices, as far as he knew, of my future, all for _his_ gain! He owes me for the insult alone, and I will have what I am due. It is not in my nature to surrender, either."

"Then you doom yourself," Aphrodite warned.

Damon noticed the inclination of her head as she spoke, and the shiver of her voice.

"You know what he plans," he spoke to the goddess, who flinched at the inquiry.

"It does not matter," she dismissed, not meeting his gaze.

"It damn well does," Damon snarled, "Because if Ares thinks he is going to threaten my wife, I will remove his soul from this realm and take the domain of War from his cold dead hands."

She looked at him now.

Her chocolate eyes, so like her daughters, narrowed at his words.

"Blasphemy," she hissed.

"So is taking a man into the marriage bed who is not your husband," Damon fired back, "But the days of Olympians deciding which hypocrisies to endorse are over. Elena will live as long as I live, and I can not be killed. So whatever the War god has planned, it will not work."

Aphrodite looked at Elena then, "Perhaps there are things worse than death. Ares has had millennium to perfect the art of winning. He knows every strategy, can envision every outcome...I beg of you, my daughter. End this. Before it escalates."

Elena straightened in her chair, tension thickening across the table.

"Did you beg the same of my father?" Elena asked, before downing her own wine, then reaching across the table to Aphrodite's cup.

She drank that too.

"Did you go to him?" She demanded, "Ask him to spare me, beg him to compromise?"

Aphrodite's silence was answer enough, and Elena nodded, "As I figured."

She motioned to a servant on the wall, "More wine! The best we have."

The tension stretched as the glasses were filled.

"But I understand," Elena allowed, "Because you know he will not listen."

"No," Aphrodite agreed, "He will not."

"And why risk his anger defending me?" Elena accused harshly, though Damon could hear the tightness of her voice as she controlled her emotions.

"Elena-" her mother sighed.

"It's rude to ignore drink that your host has offered," Elena snapped, settling back into her chair after picking up a grape to eat.

Aphrodite sighed, but indulged her daughter's mood, taking a long sip.

"Proprieties acknowledged," she said, setting down the glass, "Now, will you at least try listening to reason?"

"Oh, I have," Elena assured her, "And reasonably, you assume Ares has some trick up his sleeve...some way to emerge victorious if it were to come down between us and him. And your certainty speaks as proof that you know exactly what he is planning. Now, I want to know what it is that you know."

Aphrodite shook her head, reaching for another drink of the wine, "I know nothing of his plans."

However, the guilt in her eyes suggested otherwise, something Elena picked up on as well.

"You're lying," she said sadly, "And I'd so hoped we could reach an understanding."

Aphrodite stared at her daughter, frowning, "I can not help you, Elena...not in the way you want...but it is not too late. Drop this nonsense, leave Ares be."

Elena pushed her chain back then and stood up, "Actually, I think you are going to help me."

She moved around the table, coming up behind Damon and placing a hand on his shoulder, "I think you are going to tell me exactly what Ares has planned."

The goddess scowled, "I wouldn't be so sure."

Damon glanced up at his bride, to find her smiling.

"We will see," Elena said simply, "Because I think you're wrong. Wounds, torture, heartache...these things heal. But death...it can be so permanent."

Damon frowned, wondering at her angle, when he heard Aphrodite clear her throat roughly.

His gaze dropped back to the goddess, whose eyes widened as she began to cough.

"What have you-"

The next fit of coughing spouted blood from her throat.

Her lady's maids rushed over as Damon began to stand.

"No," Elena squeezed his shoulder, urging him back into the chair, "It's alright."

Confused and hesitant, he sat back down as she moved closer to her mother, "Elena, what are you doing?"

"Making a point," she answered him, as Aphrodite slid to the floor.

"Stop. Stop this," she gripped her throat, trying to speak through the pain as she glared up at her daughter.

"I'll admit, poison isn't my preferred weapon," Elena smiled again, and both Damon and Aphrodite's eyes shot to the wine glass...and to Elena's that sat untouched in front of her plate, "But it is effective."

She had planned this, he realized, remembering how she had asked to be in charge of the night's meal….all along, she had planned this.

* * *

Elena sank to her knees in front of her mother.

"You will die without an antidote," she warned, "Damon will send you through the veil and your soul will spend an eternity here, suffering in Hades day after endless day. So mother, I ask of you...what is worse than that? Hmm? What _is_ worse than death?"

Fear sprang into Aphrodite's eyes, her head shaking.

Elena sighed, "Alright then. Damon, perhaps we should leave her be for a while, give her time to think-"

"Cell," Aphrodite spat out with a gurgle of blood, "Cell...for you-"

Elena glanced over at Damon, who's brows furrowed, "What cell?"

The goddess clawed her throat, and Elena figured the point was made.

She nodded toward one of the servants on the wall, who brought forth a small vile.

"Drink," she instructed, giving the thing to her mother.

Aphrodite downed the contents, panting heavily as it slowly took affect.

Damon had stood now, moving to stand at her side.

"What cell," he demanded, again.

Aphrodite glared up at them, but answered weakly, "Ares is...going...imprison her...force your...hand...new contract…"

She coughed again, spitting up the last of the blood.

Elena met Damon's eyes, and saw the flash of concern in them.

And the anger, "Where?"

His voice was a growl, but Aphrodite shook her head, "I know not...just what he has told me."

Damon shook his head and hissed, "He keeps you alive, I can't get to you. And I can't kill him without knowing where he's holding you...it's brilliant, really...I'm going to to rip him apart if he attempts it, but truly, it's well thought out."

"I'll help you," Elena promised, seething a little herself.

It was so like her father to do this. Use her as bait; as leverage…

"Guards," Damon called, "Show the goddess to our guest suite."

"No!" Aphrodite began to panic, but Elena held her hand up to halt the soldiers.

"No, Damon wait...release her."

"She will go straight to Ares," he warned.

Elena nodded, "Yes. I know."

She turned back to her mother then, swallowing thickly before speaking, "Go to him. Go to my father and tell him what I did to you. Then tell him it's nothing compared to what I have planned for him."

Aphrodite's pale face held a sorrow unlike any Elena had ever seen.

"You truly are gone," the goddess whispered.

 _No_ , Elena thought, because she could not be gone if she had never been allowed to exist at all.

But Damon was right. This was her domain...this is where she belonged.

No mercy.

She looked dead into her mother's eyes...and felt nothing.

"One last thing," she decided, "Tell him thank you for the lessons. I've learned all I needed."

* * *

She backed away then, letting the maiden's pull their goddess to her feet.

Aphrodite did not even glance back as the guard came up to escort her away, but she watched her mother disappear until nothing was left but a trail of blood.

Damon came up behind her then, his movement almost silent.

"I thought you wanted her as an ally."

Elena stared at the door, "I did. But you were right...she loves Ares. She would not have betrayed him."

He moved to stare at her face, "And the poison? You did not tell me of it."

"It was a back up plan, should she refuse to be agreeable."

Damon waited for a further explanation.

"And?" he prodded, when none came.

Elena stared up at him, her eyes unreadable, "She refused to be agreeable."

He shook his head, "You realize that you've changed the tide of things. She will not forgive you for this...and Ares will be furious."

"I know," Elena nodded, "But if he wants me, he's going to have to come get me. And if he does, I'm going to put my sword in his heart."

* * *

 **Dark Chapter with Elena fully embracing what she is capable of as a Queen of Hades trained in War!**

 **Let me know what you think! :)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Update :) Get ready for it!**

* * *

The Underworld had a garden; a flourishing one, in fact.

Not exactly something Elena had expected to discover in a realm with no sun.

But the damp roots ran deep beneath the ground's surface, branching along to the river it thrived from.

She had found a tree, tucked away in a darker corner, that bore the infamous fruit of Hades.

The pomegranate.

She had reached up and plucked a ripe one from a low hanging branch, before settling down near the cool base, using the distance torch lights reflecting from the water as illumination.

Time had passed, maybe hours, and yet she still sat, shroud in the near dark, playing with the fruit in her hand as her mind wandered.

There was a fight coming, and soon; she could feel it in her very bones.

With everything Ares was threatening, with the actions she'd taken against her mother...it was too late for forgiveness.

All that remained was the accumulation of the past few weeks events, and yet, for some reason, all was quiet.

No further threats had been made, from Aphrodite, from Hera, or Hephaestus, or Ares...as if Olympus had fallen into a silence so thick, it could not be penetrated beyond the walls of the Underworld.

Elena was not naive enough to believe that the lack of noise meant things were calming.

This was the eye of a storm, the worst of the crash waiting to descend upon them all.

War was coming.

* * *

"I did not think I would find you here, of all places."

Elena glanced up to see Damon and his hound, Kava, walking up the river's edge, through the first row of growing plants.

The robe he wore exposed his bare chest, and she could not help but stare at him, her eyes devouring the sight all the way down to the black pants tied at his waist.

However, she didn't bother to respond to him with words, and Damon sighed, "When you did not show for dinner, I was worried. You shouldn't be alone in the realm...not right now."

"I'm not alone," she insisted, pulling at the skin of the pomegranate in her hands, "My guard is on the other end of the garden."

Damon glanced over, squinting as he confirmed her words.

"He's not going to do you much good way over there, now is he?"

"I wanted space to think," she answered honestly, shifting against the tree.

Damon appraised her, then exhaled slowly and moved to take a seat beside her.

Elena inched closer ito his warmth instinctually, and his arm slipped around her shoulders.

She leaned against him, and he took note of the fruit in her palm.

"What's on your mind, my sweet? Talk to me."

A simple request, yet encompassing so much more than she could express.

"There's been no news," she tells him instead, hoping that somehow her fear, her apprehension, her rage, and her unsettledness would be transparent.

"No news can be good news," he reasoned, as Kava paced some, then settled near their feet.

Elena gave her husband a look, about to ask if he really was foolish enough to believe that, given their circumstances, but closed her mouth when she saw his expression.

There was something grave and deep set in the lines of his cheeks, the tensions of his muscle.

Damon wasn't stupid; not by a long shot. He was just trying to make her feel better.

"Someone is going to move against us," she told him firmly, "My father, or Hera, or Zeus himself. The silence from Olympus is unsettling. They must be planning something."

"It is probable," he agreed, pulling her closer, "Yet irrelevant. They can not harm us here."

"No," she frowned, "But according to my mother's words, my father doesn't plan to harm us. He plans to separate us eternally until you give him what he wants."

"Your father's arrogance, thinking he can force my hand, is exactly the thing that will ensure his failure," Damon said, "He can not take you from me."

"He can try," she whispers, surprised by how daunting the thought felt.

That being taken away from the Underworld was now something to fear, instead of a thing she had begged for.

Her gaze flickered up to Damon, who was staring out at the black river.

The very thought of being ripped from his side caused an ache in her heart that felt very much like the night of the Harvest Festival, when she lost him the first time.

However, unlike that night, she was now certain of what she wanted, and was holding the very insurance she needed to be sure of her fate.

Just as soon as she formed the thought, her hands put it into motion, bringing the red fruit up to her lips.

She bit into the pomegranate without hesitation, teeth ripping through the skin until her mouth filled with the juicy seeds.

"Elena!" Damon's tone was surprised, "What are you doing?"

She took another bite, swallowing thickly, losing count of what she was consuming.

According to legend, Hades had forced three seeds upon Persephone, tying her to him, and the Underworld for three months of the year.

She wondered how many seeds it would take to bind herself permanently to the realm.

* * *

The fruit was pulled from her hand before she could take another bite, and Damon was suddenly in front of her, his gaze searching hers.

"You did not need to do that."

"Yes," she licked her lips, "I did. I...I don't want to leave you."

The admission was harder than she expected to force from her tongue, but watching Damon's expression melt into adoration was well worth the vulnerability.

He gripped the back of her head and pulled her into him.

They fell backward as their lips collided, Damon's back touching the grassy riverbank and Elena landing on his chest.

Kava huffed a growl of annoyance at them as she was forced to move away from their tumble and settle again some feet away.

Elena hardly noticed though, as Damon was still kissing her, his fingers clenching her hair into his fist, holding her roughly against every line of him.

She parted her legs so that she straddled him, the strips of her dress' skirt spreading around them.

Damon's hand left her hair and moved to her thighs, wrapping around them until she was being ground down onto him, and their kiss became hungry.

It was nothing at all to reach between them and work the tie of Damon's pants, pushing his robe aside until he was as exposed as she was.

Some quick adjustments, slight movement, and he was inside of her.

Weeks had passed since the first time she had felt him like this, yet the sensations had not grown old.

And it was more than the pleasure that she felt at their joining; it was the look on Damon's face as he watched her reach her peak; the devotion in his eyes...the love.

It was becoming a craving, driving her to climax almost as much as his his movements did.

He made her feel beautiful; powerful; wanted.

With a surge beneath her, Damon was suddenly moving them.

Her back met the damp grass, her dress ripping in the front as Damon's teeth tore the fabric away from her chest, so that his mouth could devour the skin exposed as he thrusted deeply.

Heaven, she couldn't help but think...this was heaven right in the middle of Hades.

Damon's hands grabbed hers, pinning them above her head as their fingers interlaced.

Elena could feel the heat between them growing, as Damon's own pleasure built.

The hellfire that burned through him manifesting in his eyes, turning the depths of the ice blue to a river of lava.

She was going to be scorched all over by the time he was through with her, and she could not wait.

His fingers tightened with the tension of his body, both of their climaxes racing forward as their mouths reconnected, teeth pulling lips and blood being spilled.

Then there was a new heat...something not quite unfamiliar, but new all the same.

Elena gasped and Damon's mouth trailed to her neck, his tongue tasting her thoroughly.

The heat spread throughout her body, building higher...hotter, more heat than she had ever felt.

Fire seemed to run through her veins and her vision tinted red.

"Damon," his named rushed out of her as her orgasm hit, and the room was no longer tinted, but a full blown inferno.

Damon's entire body tightened as she squeezed around him, his own release claiming him, and fire erupted where their hands were connected as they both called out.

"Elena!" Damon's vision cleared as his body calmed, and he took note of the flames.

He dropped her hand as fear flooded his eyes, but Elena's gaze did not waiver.

Her hand...it was still on fire.

Actually, that was not accurate...the fire was in her hand, coming _from_ her.

And she was not being burned.

"Damon," she blinked at the sight, her voice barely above a whisper.

His eyes met hers, wide with incredulity, and his lips began to form a question.

However, before the words could leave his lips, a loud piercing noise sounded through the air around them, shaking the very ground.

Damon's expression morphed into one of rage as he shot to his feet, "Someone's here."

* * *

Elena barely had time to stand before a messenger of the guards was bursting into the garden.

"My liege!" he shouted, "An attack in the throne room!"

Her lover disappeared and the King of the Underworld took his place, marching over to the male, "What is the threat?"

"Minotaurs, an entire heard it seems."

Elena's eyes flashed, "My father-"

"Take your Queen to my chambers," Damon ordered the messenger, quickly forming a portal, and Elena stormed forward, "Like hell! I am not going to hide like some-"

"If your father sent them, they are here for you," he shouted back at her, "The safest place for you-"

"Is at your side," she argued.

Damon's eyes met her for half a second, and something passed between them.

He didn't have time for this fight with her, and he knew it.

"Fine," he conceded, "But if you must fight, you will do so with your sword in hand. At least take the portal to retrieve it, then meet me in the throne room."

She nodded, "Okay."

He moved in a flash, kissing her harshly before pushing her into the portal, sending Kava with her.

The thing closed behind her and she stood alone with the hound, in their chambers.

* * *

Damon had expected something from Ares.

Something big.

An army of half beasts however, had not been it.

A feud was in full power by the time he entered his throne room; his guard both killing and dying as blood was slung.

Demon creatures screeched above in the rafters, fluttering at the excitement below, and some swooped down to scoop up wounded bodies for feasting.

Damon growled as a member of his guard was thrown across the room, and he summoned his powers forth.

Fire grew in his palm, the energy radiating through his body, and he shot it out across the room, ready to char anything in his path.

The enemy took note of him, and launched for an attack.

He turned the fire on the charging bull and watched as the fur on its face blistered and boiled.

It collapsed with a howl of pain.

Another charged, and Damon moved; getting caught with a horn on his arm before turning his fire to the offender.

Two more came, and another after they fell.

The hoard seemed endless, and his guard number dwindled as hammers the size of his throne were swung by the beasts, and the sickening sound of skulls being crushed filled the air.

He ducked, narrowly avoiding being struck by a well aimed ax, but as he turned for retribution, he saw the Minotaur's head fall from it's body.

Elena stood behind it as it collapsed, her now bloody sword clasped in her hands.

She paused just long enough to grin at him, then turned, swinging her blade with graceful precision.

These beasts were big and strong; but Elena was a weapon personified, deadly with her strikes, and soon the creatures turned their focus to her.

Damon drew his fire once more, ready to burn them all for thinking they could touch her.

* * *

Elena tasted blood; it was everywhere.

On the ground, in her hair, on her clothes and on her sword.

She lost sight of Damon as she was swarmed with the attackers, another one rising as quickly as the last one fell.

The bodies piled as they all danced around one another, fire, steel, and iron all colliding into a sound she was very familiar with.

 _Battle_.

Which is why it was a surprise, when she was knocked to the ground, not by an enraged Minotaur, but by an invisible force.

Then suddenly, a veil seemed to life and yellow eyes bore down into hers, "Do not move."

A second pair of canary orbs joined the first, "You're in danger."

She felt the powers affect, her heart clenching with fear, "I'm in danger."

Hands were one her then, pulling her and she was paralyzed.

Her mind however, fought the imprisonment hard.

 _Resist_ , it screamed at her, _Fight_!

She knew this power well...was related to it.

Deimos and Phobos, sons of Ares, were horrible creatures who embodied every fear and terror one's mind could summon, and used it against them.

She had only ever locked gazes with them once, in a training exercise at her father's villa.

The experience had been so unnerving, she had avoided ever looking at them again.

She had considered that her father might send them, had thought she'd be prepared for any attack, but Ares had planned well, sending in an army of beasts for a distraction, so it would be too late before she realized she was trapped.

* * *

"We found this in your weapon's room," one of them hissed, holding up a helmet, "Father said it would be useful."

Elena's brain worked through the fear as she identified the object.

The Helm of Hades...which held powers of invisibility.

"Hold still, dear sister...or die."

Again, the effects of the fear flooded her body and she trembled as the Helm was forced onto her head.

Then she was lifted, being tossed over a shoulder as they shuffled through the chaos of the room, undetected.

 _No_ , she screamed...yet her mouth refused to form the word.

She was being taken.

 _NO!_

She drew on every bit of willpower she possessed as she was carried through the throne room doors.

"I am not afraid to die," she mouthed, "I am not afraid to die."

She was afraid of leaving this place...of never seeing Damon again.

Her fingers flexed.

"I am not afraid to die!"

Damon would only bring her back if she did. There was nothing to fear.

Her hand was able to grip.

Gods, they were in the cavern now, heading for the river.

"I AM NOT AFRAID TO DIE!"

The words bellowed from her throat, as her arm moved freely, flashing to her thigh where she had sheathed a dagger.

She drove the weapon into Deimos's throat and he dropped her, just as flames flooded the cavern.

* * *

"Where is she?!" Damon's voice was a burn of joy through her entire body as he and what remained of the guard filled her vision.

Deimos was bleeding from his wound, and as he pulled out the knife, Damon surged forward, grabbing him by the throat.

"ANSWER ME!" he yelled to Phobos, "OR HE DIES!"

Elena reached up, pulling the Helm from her head, and it was clear the moment the veil dropped and Damon could see her.

"Elena," he breathed in relief, but the distraction was what Deimos had been waiting for.

In less than a blink, his wrist flickered forward and the dagger that had she had stabbed him with was buried into Damon's heart.

The impact was enough for Damon to lose his grip and blood poured from his chest as he grunted in pain.

A fury unlike anything she had ever felt before shot out of Elena and with a scream she felt her body ignite.

Like before, when she and Damon had been joined, she felt the spark of hellfire spiral through her veins and it unleashed itself through her palms as a foggy haze clouded any other thought.

The blast of flames spurred out, catching Deimos by surprise, and it was too late for him to move.

The fire devoured him, burned him alive as he screamed and fell to the ground.

Phobos disappeared with the Helm as she turned the flames toward him, and her anger willed the flames to expand, stretching to fill the cavern.

Even invisible, he caught fire, the empty air suddenly taking shape as he roasted, and the wails of pain made her smile.

They deserved the agony for hurting her husband…

Damon…

The thought of him flipped the switch on her rage, like a hose of water dousing the fire within her, and worry took its place.

She span around, a new fear clenching her chest tight, but there he stood, completely whole, the dagger removed.

He was absolutely fine.

She sighed and ran toward him.

* * *

"Are you alright?" she demanded, examining his chest, "Your heart; I was so afraid that-"

"Elena."

His tone was so unexpected that her sentence died off, and she met his gaze.

The expression on his face was one she did not quite understand.

He seemed almost...elated.

Shock and awe were also there, but the elation stood out the most.

"Are you hurt?" she repeated slowly, her mind still feeling grogged.

"Not at all," Damon grinned down at her, his hands coming to rest on her waist, "Elena...you used hellfire."

"Hellfire?" she shook her head, trying to clear it.

Fire...she had summoned it...she had killed her brothers with hellfire.

"How is that possible," she asked, as confusion leaked into her voice, "That is your power, not mine. Hellfire burns me."

She looked down at her palms, not seeing anything suggesting they had been charred.

Damon took her hands into his.

"Hellfire burns all but the blood of Hades," he said, still smiling, "My sweet, you must be carrying that blood within you."

His words clicked in her head, and suddenly the fog she had felt envelop her was gone.

A new panic seized her, "You mean...I'm pregnant."

* * *

 **I'm evil, I know. But I will try to update soon!**

 **:)**


	20. Chapter 20

**Update :)**

* * *

Elena was sitting on the edge of the massive canopy bed, listening to the conversation going on just outside the door.

Damon was speaking to the lead guards, a few minor deities, and some Pit creatures she was glad she could not see.

They were locking down the realm, nothing living allowed to move in or out of it.

Hellhounds were being divided to each battalions and placed at all entrances to Hades.

Alarms, rotations, all of the Underworld's gods and monsters on alert by royal decree.

No one dared disappoint their King tonight.

Word of what had happened was already spreading throughout the realm, the truth of the matter quite clear.

Letting a hand fall to her stomach, Elena swallowed thickly.

She was pregnant.

There was a child growing inside of her womb, and probably had been for weeks.

A child that could already use her body to channel hellfire.

Damon's child, with Damon's power.

The heir that she had bargained with, and would now render upon the realm in exchange for the position she had been granted.

All very logical.

Expected.

* * *

Except, nothing about the truth of her situation felt the way that she thought it would.

There was no great disdain swirling in the pit of her stomach as she considered what this pregnancy would mean.

No relief that Damon would have his payment; her end of the bargain kept.

No.

What she felt now, was the last thing she'd expected to feel…. _fear_.

Ares had taught her years ago how useless of an emotion it was; how it hindered and made one vulnerable...

Yet still, she was afraid.

And as much as she would like to believe that the feeling was an echo of what her half-brothers had forced her to succumb to, she knew the truth.

That this nearly foreign emotion was due to something a lot bigger than the influence of a few minor gods.

This was real terror, and she had first felt it when that dagger had struck Damon's chest and she had, in the moment, forgotten he was immortal.

The thought of him dying…it hurt, even in the hypothetical.

And now, knowing what she carried, the fear had doubled, until it surpassed any she had ever felt.

She was afraid for Damon...and for the child.

His child. _Her_ child.

It wasn't rational or even probable, that she would suddenly be overcome with some great maternal instinct and would want to protect the young god or goddess that grew within her, but she found herself turning defensive anyway.

Defensive enough that she had half a mind to march upon Olympus that very hour and burn them all upon their thrones, if only to stop them from ever endangering her babe or her husband again.

Keeping them safe didn't feel like a choice, but an absolute that would not be denied.

And the more circles she rubbed against the torn fabric of the dress that covered her stomach, the more sure she felt that everything was changing.

Her priorities...her emotions...her power...the night had rattled them all and the only thing she could do now was stare at her belly and try to deny the turning of her heart.

* * *

The door to the chamber closed as Damon finally ended his conference and joined her in their private quarters.

His gaze ran over her slowly, and seemed to linger on the hand that was still pressed against her stomach.

"You are safe. There will be no breach tonight," he assured her, "Any living soul to enter our realm will immediately cross through the veil."

She met his gaze, "That is but a temporary solution."

"Temporary is all we need," he said, pulling off his bloody clothing and tossing the ruined robes into the corner, "Tomorrow, I will have a summoning with Olympus."

Elena blinked, unsure that she had heard him correctly, "With Olympus? You mean you plan to council with the Twelve? The've just tried to kill us. Or at the very least, my father did."

Damon sat on the bed, next to her, "And Ares intent is to take you back to the Mountain. He used this attack as a diversion. I will not have that go unanswered."

"Then I go with you."

"No," he immediately refused, "I can't have you within their grasps. Not now."

"And I will not have you face them alone!" Elena stood up, "Perhaps they are unable to kill you, but my father will be prepared for retaliation!"

Damon's mouth tilted into a snarl, "Let him prepare, it will matter not when I burn him alive."

The terror turned to sheer panic in Elena's chest, as the image of Damon being stabbed played in her mind.

As did the feeling of her chest clenching when he had told her she was pregnant.

Olympus. Retaliation, The domain of War itself...suddenly they were not worth losing what she had gained for.

"No," she said firmly, "You are not going to Olympus alone. You are not going to attack my father. And if he is insisting on a war to keep his domain, then we forfeit the claim."

Silence filled the air after that statement, as if Damon were to shocked to reply.

She watched as his mouth opened, then closed, then opened again.

He stood, moving to stand in front of her.

"You want the War domain. You want your father to pay for the way he's treated you. You want Olympus to bleed for their prejudiceness."

"I know."

He exhaled slowly, "You challenged all for the right to this claim. Gave your father the ultimatum under my name."

"Yes."

"And now, you say _forfeit_?"

She flinched a little, her eyes dropping down to her still flat belly, "Yes."

Another pause.

Then, "What changed your mind?"

Her gaze flew up, meeting Damon's, and found a red stare looking down at her, "Why quit now?"

"It's too dangerous," she whispered.

He shook his head, "It was dangerous before."

"Before we knew about the baby," she insisted, "Before there was a chance that…"

His gaze bore into hers and she tried not to think about him being captured.

About her father torturing him...killing him.

Something that might be within the realm of possibility now that an heir existed.

"A chance of what?" he demanded, though his expression suggested that he knew the answer.

Elena shook her head, "Just promise me you won't go to them alone."

"Tell me what changed your mind," his voice grew heated, and her body responded.

"Damon-"

He stepped suffocatingly close to her, crowding all of the space around them, "Tell me!"

Elena shoved his chest, forcing him back and his eyes flared.

A current of electricity passed between them, nearly crackling with the tension.

She lunged at him.

* * *

Damon met her half way, their mouths crashing together as she all but climbed up his body, trying to crawl deep within his very being.

He fell back onto the mattress, where they rolled and pinned one another, the curtain of the canopy falling around them as their hands ripped at whatever clothing remained to separate their bodies.

Damon took control, after a moment, holding Elena beneath him as his mouth teased her neck until she was a moaning mess of need.

Only when she was gasping, did he pull away slightly.

When their gazes locked, she could read the question in his.

And despite her fears, she knew he deserved an answer.

"I don't want you to get hurt," she whispered, drinking in his now blue irises, "A child removes the only security you had. I'm worried about what the twelve might do, if they learn there is to be an heir with your power."

Damon didn't answer, instead he kissed; slowly this time, as if brushing away the concern with his lips.

"They can not do a thing until the child is born," he murmured against her mouth, "And I promised you the War domain."

"I don't want it if it means losing you," she admitted, her fingers digging into the skin of his back, "If it means putting our child in danger."

Damon's gaze softened, and his knuckles lifted to brush against her cheek, "You aren't going to lose anything, my sweet. And I will see this done. _For_ our child."

"Not alone," she insisted, tightening her grip to the point of desperation, "Not without me."  
He shook his head ever so slightly and Elena felt his body move against hers, "Tonight came too close to them taking you. I will not have you in harm's way-"

"But it's okay for you to be?!"

"Yes," he said with a calm that sparked a deep ache in her chest, "Because I love you and I will not risk your safety."

"Perhaps I love _you_ ," she growled back, "Perhaps I do not wish to risk _your_ safety!"

* * *

As Damon's eyes widened slightly, Elena realized what words had left her mouth.

"I...I mean...damn it, Damon."

He moved, rolling off of her until they were both sitting up and she was being dragged into his lap.

"You're going to look me in the eyes," he told her, as soon as they were settled, his hands cupping her face, "And tell me that you meant that."

Every defense mechanism in her body screamed for her not to part her lips, not to tell him what it was he wanted to hear...but what was the point in lying anymore?

She knew what she felt, however much she wished she didn't.

The fear that gripped her when she imagined being taken from his side, when she imagined losing him...it wasn't because she was so fond of the dark caverns and soul sorting the Underworld offered.

It was because a life without Damon in it no longer held meaning for her.

Without him, nothing mattered.

And now that she was to bear his child…

"I love you," she repeated, allowing the words to expand between them, "And the thought of being without you scares me more than anything in all the realms."

"Elena…"

Her lips trembled and she realized that tears were prickling at the corners of her eyes.

Damon's arms, so warm and strong, pulled her closer, until there wasn't a part of them that wasn't touching, and his mouth kissed the tears away.

He peppered those kisses across her nose, to her forehead, holding her there, whispering things in the language of the dead that were somehow both lament and loving.

She breathed slowly, taking in every sensation and sound.

And then Damon was kissing her, slowly, longingly, with a building heat that she returned.

"I love you," he echoed her, turning them again so that she was beneath him, "I love you."

More of those sweet kisses, more sensations as he pulled her dress away from her body, "I love you."

"I love you," she said back, the words falling a little easier this time, and he was all over her, inside of her; they were moving together, "Gods, Damon, I love you so much."

* * *

They made love until the torches that lit the room were burning low.

And after, they held each other in the dim light, naked utop the soft blankets, still wrapped up in the moment.

Damon's fingers danced over her arms, her cheeks, her neck, her breasts, her stomach, up and down, again and again, as if he couldn't get enough of the feel of her.

"Say it again," he whispered, for the third time since they'd finished and he had pulled her into his arms.

Elena couldn't help but smile, "I love you."

In reward, he kissed her, as firm as a promise, and continued the path his fingers had taken with his lips, until he reached her stomach.

He kissed her there, too, with a new sort of reverence.

Then rested his head against her skin, as if he might hear a heartbeat, if he were to strain enough.

"Are you worried?" the question slipped from her lips before she could stop it, and Damon's body stiffened.

"There is nothing to worry about."

Elena sighed deeply, running a hand through her lover's hair as he looked up at her.

"What are we going to do, Damon? Because short of killing them all, I do not see a way we end this in our favor."

His expression was unreadable, his eyes unwavering, "Do you trust me?"

Gods, the last time he'd asked her that, she had been awaiting trial with the Twelve.

Damon had saved her that day, too, in ways she could not have ever anticipated.

It felt like a lifetime ago, yet her answer was the same now as it had been then.

"Yes. I trust you."

"Then know that I will do whatever it takes to see us through this," he crawled up her body, until she was beneath him once more.

"We will live," he promised, kissing her nose, "And we will reign," their foreheads pressed together, "Until our heir takes the throne and there is nothing more for us to do but love one another for the rest of eternity."

"I want that. But my father's threats are not empty-" she started to protest, only to be cut off by Damon's lips pressing against hers.

"Do not worry about him," Damon breathed, after pulling away.

Elena held his stare, "How can I not?"

She watched as he considered her question, then as the corners of his lips turned a little, he asked, "Do you remember when we were children and we watched the mortals prepare the sacrifices for the Panathenaia in Athens?"

Confused by the sudden change of conversation, Elena could only nod.

"Do you remember the chickens?" he elaborated, "How there was a moment, after the servants removed the head, that the bodies would still move, even run around..."

"We thought it funny," she recalled, and Damon nodded, "We did."

Suddenly, his expression darkened, "Ares is like one of those birds. Still walking and squawking. He doesn't know he's already dead."

* * *

Blood ran through the corridors of the villa.

The only signs left of the War god's anger.

Ares sat now in his drawn bath, some half-breed tree nymph rubbing oils over his shoulders, cleaning what remained of his outburst.

The night's events had not gone to plan, despite his strategizing, and now two of his sons were lost to him.

Two weapons of the War domain rendered useless because they had failed in their task.

They were not cut from the same iron as their sister, much to his disadvantage.

Elena, the only child bore to him that could be worthy of his blood, had bested their powers with her own.

He was as impressed as he was angered by the defeat.

It would seem that taking her from the Underworld was going to prove more difficult than he'd first expected.

However, the few survivors of the raid had brought him a sliver of useful intel, before he'd killed them in spite.

Elena had burned her brothers to death...had wielded the hellfire of Hades.

An impossibility, of course, unless the goddess was pregnant with the realm's heir.

Ares smiled a little at the thought.

When he had bargained with Damon for his help in the murder of Hades, he had assumed he was choosing the lesser of two evils.

Yet, the son was proving to be an even bigger thorn in his side than the father had been.

However, a child of Damon's blood being born and raised upon Olympus would prove useful.

Would that the next ruler of the Underworld and Controller of the Veil be loyal to the Council of the Twelve instead of its own interest…yes, that would be very useful indeed.

And having its mother's blood, there would be something of War inside of the babe, and Ares was more than prepared to hone a new and even more powerful weapon into his fold.

Surely the others would see the logic of his plan and agree.

The Underworld had been without control for so long...perhaps this was the answer to its submission.

Of course, he would still need to capture Elena, preferably before those powers of hers manifested, and find a way to keep Damon in holdings until the child was born.

A decade or two; merely a blink for gods such as themselves...and the heir would be ready.

Under his guidance, it could do away with Damon for good, and Elena as well, for all she would matter after the birth.

War would remain his own to claim, and he would command the domain of Hades as well.

He settled further into the water and chuckled.

This would require a new strategy...much to plan...he would start first thing in the morning.

* * *

Damon waited until Elena was asleep before he slipped from their bed.

He hated to leave her, especially after her earlier admission.

She _loved_ him.

Truly, she did, and hearing her say the words had set him ablaze in a way the hellfire could not.

His wife loved him...and she was with child.

His eyes trailed down her resting form, to her stomach.

It thrilled him to know that soon it would be round, as their baby grew strong within.

He was a breath away from getting everything he'd ever wanted.

Power for his realm, a Queen, an heir.

Yet, he knew that the idling threat outside of their proverbial walls could not be ignored.

And despite how good Elena's suggestion of "killing them all" had sounded, he knew that doing so would spin the gods-realm into a chaos that they were not equipped to contain.

Besides, there were still Olympians of worth living on the mountain; ones who had offered no harm to him or his love.

No. This had all started with only one of the gods.

And he was going to pay for the sins he'd committed.

Damon had a plan, and to execute it without retribution, he would need insurance.

And only one person could get it for him.

* * *

It didn't take long for her to meet him in the study, after his summon had been sent, and Damon had never been more grateful for the sight of his mother.

"I had wondered when you were going to inform me on the happenings of our realm," Persephone walked into the room, dressed in a night robe, though white daisies were still braided through her long hair.

"Apologies, Mother," he took her hands and kissed them, "There was much to discuss and plan. I have only now worked through a solution."

Persephone sighed and her palm moved to his cheek, "What has happened?"

Damon sighed, leaning into her touch, "Elena. She is with child."

"Truly?" the goddess straightened, her eyes brightening, "You must be thrilled!"

Taking in his expression, she backtracked, "Yet I doubt that this is the reason for the sentry routines on all of our entrances. The alarm sounded earlier and a guard kept me in my room under protection. What was the danger?"

Damon pulled away from her and sat down on one of the carved sofas, "An attack launched by Ares as a diversion to take my Queen."

Persephone moved to the seat next to him, "Is she alright?"

"She is. And I would have her remain so. But...I must ask something of you. Something I have no right to demand, and a thing you may not wish to do."

His mother frowned at the statement, her gaze prodding his face, "You know there is nothing I would not do for you, my son."

"Hear my request first, before giving answer," he pleaded.

* * *

Persephone nodded at Damon, and listened as he explained his plan.

She soon realized that he was right; the request made was not something she wanted to do.

Gods, it was one of the last things she would ever do.

But she loved her son more than anything, and he only asked this from her to keep his family safe.

She would not begrudge him that.

"I will do as you need," she promised him, once he had finished, "And may Olympus reap the day it took stand against this realm."

For surely, once Damon's plan was executed, it was the last time they would make that mistake.

* * *

 **Whatcha think?**


	21. Chapter 21

**Update for you guys! Only a few chapters left of this story!**

 **Thanks for all the wonderful reviews :)**

* * *

Someone was in his villa.

He did not require his powers to know this, given his centuries of honed skills when it came to being under attack.

Ares laid awake, listening to the waves crash against the rocks outside, as the impending feeling of the presence of another grew.

His fingers were curled around a blade.

He was ready.

However, a secret attack is not what made him sit up in his rather large bed, glaring at the door across the room.

There was a faint knock; permission of entrance being asked.

So mostly likely, not an enemy.

Perhaps a servant, though he could hardly think of one brave enough to risk disturbing his rest.

With a low simmering annoyance, he waited until the third knock before standing to open the door.

He was half tempted to gut whoever was on the other side.

However, when he threw the thing open, surprise stayed his hand.

There was a guard, who inclined their head immediately, "My lord...she has made a request to see you. Said it was urgent."

The goddess behind the guard was as beautiful as ever.

"Persephone," Ares' brows pulled together in confusion, and he glanced around the space behind her.

There was no one besides the guard, and he could sense nothing else lingering in the shadows.

She had come alone.

"What are you doing here?"

"I need to speak with you," her melodic voice was barely above a whisper, as she pushed past the guard, "May I come in."

Ares motioned to the guard that it was alright, and the male bowed once more, before leaving to return to his post.

He stepped aside so Persephone could enter his chambers.

* * *

"You should not be here," he told her as she glanced around the place.

She smiled a little in response, "Perhaps I am the fool for coming. Or maybe I should have come long ago."

Ares crossed his arms over his chest, "Why did you come?"

"Your daughter," she said disdainfully, "Elena. She is why I am here."

"Then I should have you killed," he growled, and Persephone arched a brow, "I do not come on her behalf, War God. I come to ask your aid...and to give you mine."

Now...this was intriguing.

"You officiated the marriage between Elena and your hell spawn, did you not?" he recalled, "Unhappy with the arrangement, are you?"

The goddess sighed and moved to the ornate chaise in front of the room's fireplace.

There were only dying embers left, and she stared at them as she answered him.

"I never wanted to be Hades' bride. The entire gods-realm knew that. I never wanted to bear his child, nor live beneath his rule...but I was not given a choice."

Her eyes closed, as if the memories she recalled were painful, "Hades...he was brutal. But he did give me my son. All I've ever wanted was for Damon to have the choices I was denied...and I thought he loved Elena."

"And yet you are here," Ares pointed out, moving to sit next to her on the chaise, "Hinting words of betrayal."

Persephone's eyes opened with a flash, and they were angry when they turned on him, "Because he has lost himself in your bastard girl. She is every bit her mother's daughter and has bewitched him into fighting her battles for her. Damon has never cared to take your domain. It is Elena who wants it. She has had a taste of being Queen and now she hungers for power."

Ares appraised the goddess and considered her words.

She had been down in the Underworld recently.

Had seen and heard more intel than he had managed to gather in weeks.

Perhaps they could be of use to one another.

"You would deny the Underworld's claim to my domain?" he clarified, "Would stand with me and the rest of the Twelve against your son and my daughter."

"If you guarantee that Damon will not be punished," she stated firmly, "Then I would gladly help you. I want this imposter Queen out of _my_ domain."

Ares chuckled and risked reaching out to brush a strand of the goddess's hair out off of her shoulder.

The dress she wore exposed her skin beautifully, and his eyes could not help but wander as he commended the fight in her tone.

"I was unaware you enjoyed ruling so much," he taunted, "Especially a throne given to you by Hades."

Persephone smiled slowly, "Aside from my son, it was all he ever gave me. I hated being his bride. In fact, I often regretted not taking up other offers...certain ones over others…"

Her eyes were hooded beneath thick lashes as she looked up at him.

Gods, how he had yearned for her beauty in their youth, how he had desired her as a maiden and sought to make her belong to him.

Instead, she'd been stolen. Bartered. Given away before he had even had the chance to fight for her hand.

"The treatment you received was unfair," he admitted, letting his fingers linger on her arm, "The choice of suitor should have been yours."

She smiled again, and he would have sworn that the firelight reflecting off of her face brightened, "If it was, perhaps both of our lives would have been rather different. And we would not be in this mess."

"Maybe this is our chance to start anew?" he reasoned, his hand running down her back now.

She did not flinch away from his touch.

She was no longer Hades bride.

"You would wish to be with me now?" she laughs dryly, "With our children plotting to destroy the realms."

"Seems as good a time as any," he smiled, as his palm against her back drew her body closer, "And there were others of the Twelve you could have gone to. You came to me for a reason...you want this too, do you not?"

Persephone's cheeks blushed red and the hollowed innocent of her gaze was proof of the life she'd been forced into.

"I will not take you unwillingly, as _he_ did," Ares promised her, "But I will admit that I have thought of you many nights over the centuries...there was a time I wanted you more than anyone."

She laughed again, but her hand lifted, cupping his cheek, "Ares, my prideful sweet. I doubt there is a single goddess in the realm whom you have not felt desire for. You have always loved them, and they you. Like your father, I fear fidelity is not of your nature."

"Fidelity," he spits mockingly, "Your blessed Hades was faithful, was he not? Were you any happier?"

"Is that what you offer me?" she questions, her fingers lingering near his lips, "Happiness?"

"A promise," he corrects, "That we will help each other to achieve our desires. One I would see sealed between us tonight."

Her large eyes were captivating, aching, and he wanted her still.

This was one battle he had fought too long, and tonight, he would have victory at last.

Persephone would be his greatest conquest.

"As you wish," she breathed, and leaned forward, her small body pressing against his as their lips finally met.

Ares deepened the kiss and pulled the goddess into his arms.

The bed.

They would take this to the bed.

* * *

Damon watched from beyond the veil as Ares carried his mother to the bedding platform.

He was kissing her, trying to remove her dress, but things would not transpire in the way the god wanted.

He was almost distracted enough...lost enough in the prospect of sex that he would not sense Damon's passing through the veil.

Persephone was not a threat to be registered, and her lies were believable enough.

Ares had lusted after her for years.

It really was the perfect storm.

* * *

Aphrodite stared out the archway of her chambers, to the darkened sky below the mountain.

The vast nothingness seemed to spread on forever, threatening to swallow her whole.

The emptiness was felt so deeply through the space that perhaps it span from her very soul.

For truly, she felt nothing.

No joy, no hope, no...love.

Ever since her return from the Underworld, the closest she had ever come to experiencing death, she had been unable to feel a thing.

Gods do not die.

They are immortal.

Feeling the breath and the blood trapped in her throat had been a revelation she had never knew she needed.

She was immortal...but she could be killed.

They all could.

One whim, one wrong choice...and life would cease from their bodies, their souls doomed to forever dwell in that horrid place beneath the Earth.

Hades truly was the realm of the dead, and it had taken her daughter; her sweet fiery girl...and had turned her into a monster.

Or perhaps Ares had already planted the seed.

Or maybe it was just something Elena had been born with, a corruption rotting deep within her soul that had not festered until she had become Damon's bride.

A corruption that the King of the Underworld had nourished, spread, until it had completely consumed.

* * *

A soft noise ripped Aphrodite from her tortured thoughts, and a scream nearly left her lips.

As if her memory had conjured him, Damon stood in the doorway of her chambers, black cloaks falling from his shoulders, trailing the floor behind him.

"I am not here to harm you," he spoke before she could raise an alarm, "But we must speak."

Aphrodite swallowed thickly, forcing her throat to clear, "I must do _nothing_."

Her words were spat like venom, anger spiking in her blood.

"You will want to hear what I have to say," Damon reasoned with her, not seeming the least offput with her attitude, "It concerns Ares."

The goddess paused, all thoughts of thwarting him to escape left her mind, "Ares? What of him?"

"He is dead."

 _Dead_.

Ares.

Nausea rose with bile in her stomach, "Untrue. It is impossible."

"Not for me," he said simply, and a steady ache ripped through her chest.

"You lie! Why do you come here and say such lies?!" Tears pooled in her eyes.

Gods, Ares could not be dead...he could not.

She….she loved him. Even still. She hated the god he had become, hated his violent nature and brutish immorality, but gods, she loved him just as much.

His seed had been the first to take hold within her womb, to make her a mother...he had taught her what love truly was.

"No…"

Her feet gave out, and Aphrodite felt herself sink to the marble floor, the white so blinding, even in the darkness.

"I do not lie," Damon knelt before her, "But I do come to make you an offer...a compromise."

"C-compromise?" she fought to understand his logic, and saw none, "You kill my beloved and want to compromise?"

"Yes," the god's teeth gleam in the moonlight, "I killed him. And I can bring him back."

As Lord of the Dead, he did control the veil.

"For a price," she realized, and Damon nodded, "For a price."

She straightened and stared at him, hard.

"Prove it to me...prove to me that he is dead."

The smile on the son of Hades face is cruel now, "If that is what you want."

He offers her a gloved hand, and after a moment of hesitation, she takes it, letting him pull her from the floor and out of her chamber.

* * *

The Mountain is quiet at night, Damon noted, as he walked along the carved stone, taking the stairs that led to the Throne Room.

Aphrodite was right behind him, nearly as pale as the marble they stepped on.

"He is in here," Damon announced, once they reached the doors to the divine building.

The thrones of the twelve sat in rows, and at the head of them, was Zeus's chair.

Beneath it, in the very cage Ares had planned on imprisoning Elena in, was the War God's body.

Persephone stood next to the thing, keeping watch.

"No," Aphrodite's pained whisper echoed around the room, "No!"

She ran ahead of Damon, dropping to the foot of the All Father's throne, "No! What have you done?!"

"As I've said, I can bring him back," he reminded her, as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Her eyes were on Ares body, her fingers clinging to the cage, "What are your terms?"

"You surrender part of your domain to Elena, as your heir," he tells her firmly, "You may keep your claim to Love, but give Elena rule over the domains of beauty, pleasure, and procreation. We will never ask for more, you have my word."

The goddess flinched, "What else?"

Damon set his jaw, "Ares will be alive...but until he agrees to my terms, he will remain a prisoner in the Underworld. He is a threat to my Queen and our domain. I will not grant him immunity for his sins against us."

"You call _him_ sinful?" she mocked, and Damon's gaze darkened, "He attacked my domain, my wife, and our unborn child."

"Child?" Aphrodite blinked, her gaze meeting his, "Elena is pregnant?"

"She is. And it is for that child which I secure the realms for."

"To give a child with Hades blood such power…"

"And your blood," he reminded her, "And Ares blood. Elena's blood...my mother's blood. Demeters...Our heir will be inheritor to realms of war and love and life and death and so much more. They will bring us to a new era, and rule in a way that we are not capable. Too long, Olympus has let time pass and has remained in the dark. We are all but forgotten now, and the mortals have twisted souls with dying purity. This child is a chance for the gods realm to survive."

Aphrodite frowned, and looked back to Ares' body, "A life in prison is no life."

"You may disagree, when I tell you how I managed to kill him," Damon smiled a little, and glanced up to his mother.

She was fully dressed now, and proud of the role that she had played in taking Ares down.

And Aphrodite, like the All Mother, was known for her jealousy.

She may love Ares and wish him alive, but after the truth is revealed, he wondered if she would not lock him up and throw away the key herself.

* * *

Elena awoke with a start, her hand jumping to her stomach.

The baby...oh gods...the baby.

She breathed heavily, shaking off the horrid dream she had been having.

She was okay...and her child was okay.

A low growl came from the bottom of the bed.

Kava was there, curled up, watching her.

"It's alright," she assured the beast, then glanced over to see the other side of the mattress empty.

Damon was gone.

"Damon?" she called for him, but wasn't surprised when there was no answer.

She scrambled out of the blankets, and pushed away the canopy curtains.

The chambers were empty.

"Damon!" she called again, trying not to worry.

There were a million reasons he might have stepped out, and at least nine hundred and ninety thousand of them had nothing to do with him dying or being injured.

She glanced over to the hellhound, who had jumped off of the bed with her.

Making up her mind, she grabbed her dagger from the desk across the room, dressed quickly in one of Damon's robes, and ordered the dog.

"Find him, girl. Go find Master."

Kava immediately rushed to the door, jumping at the thing, so Elena opened it and followed her lead.

* * *

The dungeons.

Kava had taken her down to the dungeons.

Elena did not particularly care for this corner of Hades, but the torches along the way gave plenty of light as she followed the hound down the stairs, to where she hoped her husband was.

Indeed, the dog had done her job, and Damon was in the space below.

Relief flooded Elena's heart...until she saw who was in the cage beyond her lover.

"What have you done?" she whispered, but it was loud enough to get the attention of everyone in the room.

Damon, some guard members, and even Persephone.

"Elena," Damon moved quickly to her side, his hands lifting to her face, "You should be resting-"

"What is going on?" she demanded, ignoring his request.

"I will explain in the morning-"

"You will explain now," she warned, and he studied her face.

Finally, he sighed and nodded, "Very well. I have reached a compromise with your mother."

"My mother?" she frowned and Damon summoned a paper.

A contract.

Elena took it from him and read it over.

"She is giving us her domains?"

"Most of them," Damon amended, his hand sliding down to her stomach, "Think of it as a gift, for the babe."

"I tried to kill her," she pointed out, "I don't think she would willingly bestow our heir with her realms."

"She would to save him," Damon motioned to the cage, and Elena's gaze followed.

Her father. Ares. The god of War….was dead.

Well, sort of dead.

He was almost ghostlike, his soul having taken on a personified form.

"You've killed him?"

"Temporarily," Damon wrapped an arm around her waist, "As leverage."

"How?"

Her husband shook his head, "It is done. That is all that matters now."

She wasn't so sure about that, "Forcing my mother's hand is one thing...but what happens when the others find out? When the rest of the council realize you've taken one of the Twelve prisoner?"

Damon smiled and kissed her head, "Compromise, my love...that is what happens."

* * *

 **More to come soon! Hope you enjoyed it! :)**


	22. Chapter 22

_"NOOOOO! NO! NOOOO!" He is yelling so loudly; screaming really, and his throat is raw from the effort, "No, no, no, no…"_

 _He can form no other word, because this was not supposed to happen; this was not the deal!_

 _Her body laid before him, the blood seeping stark red against the white marble of the throne room, and he couldn't breathe._

 _He had to bring her back! He needed to!_

 _Through the veil, he can see her standing just in front of him, a sad smile on her beautiful face._

" _It is alright," she tells him, her eyes drifting over her own lifeless body, "It will all end now."_

 _Damon shakes his head, a horrid sob caught in his throat, "No...I can not lose you!"_

 _She smiles again, breaking his heart._

 _Her shadowy figure, the remnant of her soul, reaches out to cup his cheek, "You never will. For I am eternally with you."_

 _He closes his eyes._

* * *

"They're here," Elena felt a shiver run down her spine as Damon made the announcement.

It was expected, but that did not make the prospect of facing imminent doom any more easy.

"How many?"

"All of them, from what I am told. They wait for us, beyond the entrance, on the banks of the Styx," he said this entirely too calmly.

If only the river of Hades could keep them all out indefinitely.

It was early. So early the sky was still dark, but all of Olympus had awoken with a mighty cry, the endless storms that had blown in proof of Zeus's fury.

They knew.

They knew what Damon had done...what fate Ares had met.

"Do you really think you can make them listen?" she whispered from where she sat on the steps of Damon's throne.

The room had been cleaned of the massacre from the raid, but the stench of blood and death still lingered.

 _How fitting_ , she thought.

Damon walked over to her, lifting her to her feet, "They can not harm you. I need you to understand this. I will not let them."

"You can not stop them," she said slowly, "Not all of them."

Damon's head crooked and he lifted his arms, "This is Hades. Here, I can do whatever I please. They can not pass through the border of the realm without crossing the veil. Not even Zeus would risk that. It is why they wait."

"Then you should stay," she argued, gripping his palm in her own, "They can not touch you here. You are safe."

He shook his head, "My love, this is not a concern of safety. I've told you; we meet today for compromise. Zeus will give me what I want, if he wishes to see his son returned."

"And if he does not?"

She was almost afraid to ask.

Damon's expression darkened, "Then he risks civil war among the gods and he knows it. There are those who oppose us, it is true, but others would believe you are owed the right to the domain, as Ares heir. And if it is not forfeited to you, what does that tell them of their own inheritance? No...Zeus will not want things getting complicated. He will agree."

She squeezed his fingers, "Let us hope you are right."

* * *

There is a battalion waiting for them beyond the gate of the Underworld.

But at least Elena could admit that Damon had come prepared as well.

Every creature and deity of Hades had been called forward, to join their Master in this show of force amongst the gods of Olympus.

Nearly all of the twelve, Hera included, took a full step back when they reached their viewline, just inside the line of the veil.

Damon stepped forward, and Cerberus, still standing guard, moved with his King, each of his three heads focused on what he had no doubt deemed a threat.

Persephone, who was standing next to Elena, took her hand as Damon began to speak, and she was thankful for the support.

"I will assume you have heard of Ares demise then," he began, and not for the first time, Elena found herself cursing Damon's arrogance.

Zeus took point, his burly body rigid with his wrath and the skies above crackled as loud as his booming voice, "You admit it! You have slain my son?! One of the gods-blood; one of the twelve?!"

A threatening menace slipped into her husband's voice too, "I have taken the retribution that I was owed. Ares ordered an attack on my domain. Tried to abduct my Queen. It was within my right to avenge his actions."

"You dare to spout such lies after the crimes you have committed!" Zeus growled and Damon smirked, "Lies, are they? Ask your wife if I speak falsehoods. Scouts of my realm have witnessed her conspiring with Ares to carry out his plans."

Zeus blinked in near surprise, his gaze flickering to Hera, who had turned utterly pale.

She glared daggers at Damon, but rose no word in defense.

The All Father snarled, "Conspiracy is not action. She did not lead an attack. She did not take Ares' life. She did not declare war!"

"NOR HAVE I!" Damon's tone jumped to match his, and the crowd trembled, a few demons cackling and ruffling their wings to his anger, "The request I made had nothing to do with Olympus. Any of you. It was to Ares alone; that he resign his daughter her birthright."

"And you kill him for denying-"

"I killed him for assuming he could take what belonged to me, not because he refused to forfeit his domain," Damon snapped and Elena squeezed Persephone's hand harder as Zeus's eyes narrowed.

"Ares was of the gods-blood," he said in defense again, and Damon scoffed.

"Which means naught to me. A threat to my realm is a threat to my realm. And had Ares been more concerned with making peace than getting beneath my mother's skirts, perhaps he would still be alive."

A few hisses of offense answered, but Zeus quieted them down, "So that is how you entrapped him."

"He entrapped himself," Damon stated simply, "I just took advantage of the weakness he presented...but there is no need for War. No need for anyone else to die today."

Zeus laughed deeply, without humor, "You advocate peace with blood upon your hands?"

"Blood matters not to me," he answered, "Have you not come to understand that? Do you not listen to my words? Ares is dead, yes. But I can restore him wholly. In fact, I have already promised to do so."

His eyes flickered briefly to Aphrodite, "He will however, remain prisoner in my realm, until I am given certain...assurances."

Elena swallowed thickly as Zeus eyed Damon.

There was still anger upon his face, but something new was growing in his expression; curiosity.

"What is it that you want?"

Damon took the opening, "To speak with you, alone. No threat, no powers used, just a simple discussion concerning the future of the gods-realm."

Zeus seemed to consider the offer.

A long moment passed as the two gods stared at each other, both Kings in their own right, neither used to being denied.

Until, finally, the All Father smirked darkly, "As you request, son of Hades...let us see what peace you might think atones for this."

Damon's smile was just as clouded, and he summoned a portal into the air, "We go together, then. To talk. To compromise."

"Yes," Zeus noded, "To compromise."

* * *

They stepped through the portal together, a guard accompanying Zeus, and Rhal and Kava staying at Damon's side.

Despite the slight protection, fear once more gripped Elena's stomach, making her nauseous in its wake.

"He will be alright," Persephone told her, "He will be alright."

She wanted to believe her. She wanted Damon to come back safe.

Forever.

With one hand on her stomach, cradling the growing child beneath, she began to pray.

* * *

Damon chose a place of complete neutrality.

A small cavern at the foot of the Mountain, dry and empty.

Silence echoed in the space as he and Zeus came to a stand still.

Kava circled him anxiously, and he gave her a pat of assurance before addressing the King of Olympus.

"Can we both agree that we do not want a war?"

Zeus was close to him, perhaps closer than he had ever been before, but Damon knew he wouldn't dare to lay a hand on him.

The god was mighty, but practically reeked of fear at the prospect of death.

"A war you would lose," Zeus reasons.

"A war that would destroy the domains and the realms," Damon growls, "Leave uncertainty and chaos running freely through the Mountain and would change every ounce of consistency and tradition that you have spent centuries building."

After a pregnant pause, Zeus sighs slowly, "What is it that you propose then? Too much has been taken since you and your bride overstepped your place. How do you make this right?"

"I bring Ares back," Damon said flatly, "That is how."

"That hardly covers the offense of his death, let alone the insult you have paid the twelve," Zeus scoffed.

"It is the offer that stands," Damon stood his ground, "Ares dead or alive. That is your choice. But if I return him to proper form, free to continue his existence on Olympus, then you will guarantee my Queen the War realm. That is within your power."

"It is," Zeus took a step forward, "But why in all of Hades, would I agree to this bargain?"

"Because you do not want a war," Damon reasoned, "You do not want the Underworld outside of your control...you do not want me for an enemy, All Father. I am offering you peace, with the return of your son. Be wise and accept."

Zeus shook his head, staring at Damon with utter disbelief, "The amount of trouble you are going through, for one simple realm...what is your reasoning? What is the meaning behind any of this?! If it is not war you intend, why add to your power?"

"It is not _my_ power I add to," Damon admitted hesitantly, then decides to come clean, laying out the offer as clearly as it needed to be, "Elena is pregnant with my heir. With her heir. A child who will blend the gods-blood of multiple domains into a single entity. A child who the mortals can worship again...a way to unite the realms."

The All Father's expression is unreadable as he processes the news.

Damon allowed him the moment, resting a palm against Kava's head as she growled lowly at the tension.

"A child of Hades," Zeus sneered a little at the fact, "With so much power…"

"The beginning of a new era," Damon corrected, "A better future for our realms. That is all that I am asking you for. I will return Ares to you. Elena and I will return to our domain and rule over our inheritances until my heir is of age to take the throne of Hades. In return, you will secure the domains we are due, and you will keep Ares on a leash because if he ever makes a grab for my wife again, I will put him in a hole so deep in the Underworld, he will never emerge."

Zeus laughed, a short, angry sound, "You are your father's son, after all, aren't you?"

Damon did not answer, but Zeus nodded anyway.

"I am inclined to honor your request."

"In a blooded contract?" Damon confirms.

The All Father nodded again, "Of course...but first, an amendment. This is a compromise, is it not?"

There is something in his tone that tells Damon he should be worried, and with reluctance, he asked, "What is it you wish to amend?"

"Your offer, while tempting, lacks true justice," Zeus decided, "I will guarantee everything that you have requested, but I require something in return."

Of course he did, "And what might that be?"

"You," the thunder God's voice is dark, "Dead."

* * *

Damon froze at the suggestion, and this time both Rhal and Kava stepped in front of him, trying to understand what it was he needed protecting from, having sensed his uneasiness.

"My death is-"

"Possible," Zeus cut him off, "With an heir. Blood for blood, Damon, and I will consider your debt paid."

Damon's teeth flashed as he snarled, "And on what grounds do you expect me to willingly give you my life?"

"The grounds of your family's safety secured," Zeus told him, "I will keep my word, bound by blood in contract. Elena and your spawn will be safe to rule whatever realms are due for their interhitence. Ares will not touch them; no god of Olympus will. They will be free to sit the throne of Hades for all of their existence with no qualm or threat to oppose them. This, I will promise you. As long as your life is forfeited on the day your heir is born. They will control the veil, and you will no longer be my problem."

Now it was Damon who laughed humorlessly, "Have you met my wife? You will have a bigger fight from her in light of my death than you would denying me here."

"You will make her understand," Zeus growls, "For if you do not accept, I will not either. And I will come for you, your bride, and the child in her womb. You will have to kill every single god on Olympus before I concede, and that chaos you are so concerned about will be all you have left. And, by chance you do fall, I will tell you what happens when I get my hands on your Queen...so like her mother she is; beautiful, fiery...I see Hera in her as well...you can imagine how much I would enjoy making her kneel before me...making her do, well, whatever I like until that hellspawn is born and is able to take your place."

Fire erupted in Damon's palms, his vision flashing red, "Be careful what you threaten, Zeus. So that I am not tempted to kill you here and now!"

"Do that and you _will_ have war," the god snarled, "You suggest peace, and I have given you my counter. It is yours to accept or deny. Your choice to end this, or to set it ablaze."

* * *

Fury burrowed deeply through Damon's body, crackling in his veins, to his very heart.

Every bone in him wanted to destroy the threat in front him him.

But his mind raced through the anger, through the protective instincts he felt, and found some rationale.

Zeus...was _right_.

War and chaos would be all that remained if he acted in violence now and killed all the gods.

There would not be enough remaining to control the realms, and the universe itself would spin to chaos.

There would be nothing left to rule if it all crumbled to destruction.

And this was a seal of gods-blood by Zeus himself.

Elena would be safe. Their child would be safe.

She would raise their heir to rule and to be powerful, and to unite the realms in a way no other had been able to before.

After everything...maybe that was _just_.

And he could watch them from the veil, be with them, in some fashion, until the child learned how to carry souls through the purgatory of waiting, and put him wherever it was deemed he belonged.

It was not the ending he wanted...but the All Father was not bluffing.

His pride was so great, his life so old, that he would let it all fall to ruin just to see Damon fail.

War would happen, and it would endanger his family.

Even if he killed them all; even if he won...the gods-realm would be lost.

War or Peace.

And the choice was to be made with his life.

* * *

Elena waited with the others for what seemed like hours.

The rumble of thunder in the sky was proof that Zeus still breathed, and she felt in her heart that Damon was still well.

The tension grew thick as more and more time passed, until finally they appeared.

Thank the gods, Damon was back. And he was alive.

Nothing on either of the gods' faces gave clue to a conclusion met, but when Damon returned to her side, pulling her into his arms, his voice to the others was sharp, "Return home. We are finished here."

Valuing their lives, they obeyed and Elena breathed in her husband's scent, holding him tightly, "What was decided?"

"Not here," he told her and she nodded, "Okay."

The had reached their chambers before Damon let her go, and even then it was only long enough to move the canopy curtains and to lay her on the soft mattress.

He covered her body, kissing her deeply; desperately.

"Damon...wait, my love," she pleaded, "Tell me what has happened."

He pulled away only slightly, "All is settled."

"Zeus agreed?"

He nodded, "I told you he would, did I not? You have nothing to worry about. You're safe."

She crooked her head, eyeing him, "Then why do you look at me as if I am going to disappear any moment?"

Damon kissed her again, firmly, before answering, "You are going nowhere, my sweet. You are going to rule as Queen for as long as you wish, and our child will rule over every domain of their blood right. You will both be protected by contract."

Elena frowns, "That feels too simple, Damon."

He pressed their foreheads together, "I told you I would protect you, and I will. Nothing is going to harm you or our child. I promise."

Reluctantly, she nodded, the reverence of his tone to assured to doubt.

"Good," he smiled softly, "Now, let me make love to you. And for tonight, we will forget this entire ordeal."

With a heated smile of her own, Elena pulled his mouth back to hers and kissed him, letting all of her concerns slip away to the sound of his satisfied groan.

* * *

Persephone was not a fool.

When nothing came to nothing in the passing days, she knew that Damon had set something in motion with Zeus.

It was there, in his gaze when he passed the souls on, when he held Elena during meals, or when he sat with her for council.

There was a distance...a finality in his eyes that terrified her.

However, it wasn't until the full passing of a moon's cycle that she was able to finally confront him on the notion.

They were alone, in the library off of his chambers, and it was late.

Too late for him to still be awake, and certainly too late for the wine in his cup.

"You do not take to bed?" she announced herself, and Damon's head shot up.

When his eyes landed on her, he relaxed back into his seat, "Hello to you as well, Mother. I am just finishing up a few things."

She crossed the room to where he was flipping through some documentation.

With soft fingers, she grabbed his chin and lifted his face, "What ails you?"

His eyes closed slowly, and Persephone looked at her son, truly looked at him.

Exhaustion weighed in the lines of his face, and the crease of his brows seemed to be permanent of late.

"All is well, Mother," he opened his eyes and met her gaze, "You should be in your chambers."

"I should be here," she argued, "Discovering what it is that is keeping you from your wife at these hours."

"Elena is sleeping," he smiled a little, "The child is a blessing, but it does require much of her energy. The rest is needed."

"As it is needed for you," she insisted, "Or, perhaps you can just tell me what is haunting you so."

The look he gave her was reproachful, "I've told you, all is well."

"Damon, my sweet child. I brought you into this world," she reminded him, brushing his hair back from his face, "Do you not think that I can tell when you are lying?"

His crystal blue eyes are trained on her, the secret in them heavy.

Her palm brushed his cheek, "Speak to me, my son. What truly happened, between you and the All Father? You have been hiding something since that day. I can feel it."

Damon sighed, and for a moment, she thought he would not answer her; but then he reached forward and grabbed one of the documents he had been reading.

A contract.

"Read it," he instructed, placing it into her hands, "And you will have your answer."

* * *

Persephone did as he said.

She read it entirely, then read it again, hoping that she had simply misunderstood the meaning of the first time.

"Zeus is demanding your death," her voice came out quiet as a whisper.

Damon nodded, "A debt I've agreed to pay."

Her eyes flashed to him, "Why in all the realms would you ever-"

"For them," he answered wearily, and it was all he needed to say.

 _Them_.

Elena and the baby.

"The stipulations of safety are guaranteed for them at your death," she realized and Damon stared at the paper in her hands, "That was the agreement. Zeus signs this on the day my child is born...my last day in the living realm, and they are protected from all."

Persephone shook her head, "Damon. You can not."

"Wouldn't you?" he challenged, his eyes finding hers again, "You once told me that there is nothing a parent would not do for their child...and I believe you. Hades never loved me as you did. He was only my father by blood, and I will be better than that. This is the way I keep my promise. This is how I be a good father. I will keep them safe. I will give my heir their birthright."

"Elena will retaliate-" she started, but Damon shook his head, "I will speak with her, make her understand."

"It will not matter, if she loses you."

Damon sighed, "She will still have you. She'll have our baby. I trust her to do the right thing for our domains."

Tears pricked the corner of her eyes, and her son frowned, "Don't cry, Mother...it will be alright."

"Why?" she hissed out, "Why would Zeus demand this of all things?"

"Blood for blood," he reasoned, "It is owed."

"Blood for blood," she repeated.

Damon stood and pulled her into his arms, "I know you do not think it fair, but the outcome of refusal was too great. I want you and Elena and my child to be happy and safe here. I can make that happen, and I will be with you, just beyond the veil."

* * *

Persephone tilted her head up and studied him.

Her beautiful baby boy, the one redemption she'd ever had within this realm.

His pain had always cut her as deeply as her own, his happiness hers to rejoice in as well.

If he died, so surely would she.

And with that, she made a decision of her own.

"It is not fair," she agreed, breathing deeply, "But, I understand…you'll do whatever it takes to protect your family."

It's a parents job, after all, to do anything for their children.

Even die.

* * *

 **Bowwowow Sooooo let me know what you thought :)**


	23. Chapter 23

**Okay guys, this is a BIG chapter! Lots happening! Also, one of the last ones! But I think you'll be satisfied with how it ends ;)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

It was an amusing thing, the discovery of power.

Elena had enjoyed it in her youth, getting to play with her abilities, figure out exactly how far she could use them before losing focus.

Making men do stupid things in her name...watching the fabricated devotion fill their gazes.

Her power had been more than a mere tool; but also entertainment.

She felt similar now, as she flicked fire from her fingertips, watching the flames die and ignite, over and over.

They spread to her palm, yet the heat did not burn.

It was such a curious thing.

"Do you think I will still be able to touch the hellfire?" she asked Damon, who was next to her at their long dining table, "Once the child is born?"

His gaze shifted over to her, a smile creasing his mouth, "It's probable, but not a guarantee. I suppose it depends on how much power the baby leaves behind."

She smirks a little at the thought, "Is it strange that I am excited to see what they will be able to do? Descended from so many lineages, is it not curious, what their power might be?"

Instead of answering, her husband stood and reached for her hand.

Having finished most of her meal, she took it and let him lead her from the room.

* * *

"Where are we going?" she questioned, as Damon opened a portal for them to walk through.

She half expected to step into their bed chambers, but it was the library outside of it that awaited them on the other side.

There were a slew of papers scattered around the table near the sofas, and many books were pulled from their slots on the walls.

"I need to speak with you," Damon stated quietly, motioning toward the sofa, "About our child...and the future."

Elena paused, not liking the weight in his words, but decided to do as he asked and joined him on the couch.

"What about it?"

He did not answer right away, and the prolonged silence only worried her more.

"Damon…"

"I have not yet told you everything," he finally said, the admission rushing out in a tangle of words.

"Concerning what exactly?" she asked, but the pit of fear she had felt since discovering she was pregnant opened wide now, filling her chest with raw panic.

Damon met her gaze, his blue eyes sharp and focused, "I made a deal with Zeus that would guarantee the safety of you and the baby. No one will harm either of you or try to threaten you or overthrow you. Our child will be given all domains they are due when they take the throne, and you are going to teach them all they need to know about ruling Hades."

"We," she corrected, " _We_ are going to teach them."

Damon's expression faltered, and Elena's stomach took a nosedive.

"You promised me," she breathed, "You swore to me, Damon."

"It was the only way," he countered, just as quietly.

" _What_ was?" her voice jumped now and she followed it to her feet, "What was the only way?"

Damon sighed, leaning back on the sofa, "Zeus required more for the bargain to be struck. Blood for blood. He will force all of Olympus to leave you in peace…but the price is me...my life."

"He's going to kill you?" she hissed incredulously.

"Actually, I believe I will have to do the act myself," he reasoned, "Considering I am practically unkillable, as it stands. No doubt that is why he has made this request."

Elena shook her head, and stared at the god in front of her.

Surely there was something more...something he's left out.

"So, we kill him first? Is that the plan?"

"Elena-"

She ignored him, "Olympus will revolt if we do, no doubt, so we will have to be sure and take out whoever poses the biggest threat. Hera hates us, but I'm betting she hates her cheating husband more...Ares and my mother would no doubt be happy to see us both dead, but perhaps Apollo or Athena might-"

"My sweet, there is no-"

"I will run my sword through every inch of his arrogant body before I let him take you from me," she snapped, "I will burn Olympus to the ground and-"

"And what?" Damon asked her.

His words were patient, his tone casual...she wanted to hate him for the complacency.

"We can not move against Olympus without changing _everything_ ," he explained, "A war would mean a collapsion of all the realms, and without deities in place to control them, each dominion would be released upon the mortal world in full...there will be nothing left."

"I do not care about the mortals!" Elena screamed, her voice breaking, "I care...I care about you. Let all the realms burn!"

"I will not have our child born into a world at war," he argued, still keeping that rigid calm, "I will not have them struggle and fight to keep their crown or their life. Doing this now...it saves them for the rest of their eternity."

"We will save them," she insisted, dropping to her knees in front of her husband, "Together. Alive! Please, Damon…"

Tears were stinging in her eyes and Damon reached down to cup her cheeks, his thumbs running over the tops to catch the droplets that had began to fall.

"I need to do this," he whispered, "For you, for the baby...you will still have everything I've promised you. You will be Queen. The entire realm, yours to command...you will be loved and revered and you will never be alone. Our child will rule our domains, and inherit even more.

There will be peace...and I will watch over you; always."

"I do not want to live without you," she closed her eyes, "I will not."

"Elena-"

She had moved before he could interrupt, standing to her feet and taking the dagger from her thigh sheath.

In a quick motion, she turned it toward her stomach.

Damon stood now too, his eyes widening, "Elena, stop! What do you think you're doing?"

"I won't lose you," she repeated, "And if the child is the leverage Zeus is using against you, then I will eliminate that factor."

Damon lunged forward and grabbed her arm, turning the knife away, "You don't want to do this!"  
"I don't want you to die!" she yelled back, "And if the choice is you or this child, I've made it! We can have another heir once we've killed the All Father, but I will not lose you to him!"  
"I'm not going to let you kill our child!"

"I'm not going to let you kill yourself," she spat back, struggling against him for the blade.

Damon was stronger and flipped it from her palm.

Elena tried to dive for it, but his grip tightened around her waist and he dragged her away from it, to their chambers.

* * *

"Stop!" he bellowed, once they were through the door and he dropped her, "This is madness! You said you loved me, that you wanted this child! How can you even think to do this?!"

"Because I do love you," she spat back, getting right in his face, "I didn't want to and I fought against it every step of the way, but you didn't give me a choice! You made me love you and promised I wouldn't lose you! Damn it, Damon! I have given you everything I have left and this child means the world to me now...but I will not sacrifice you to have it!"

She was crying in earnest now, the tears streaming, and it broke Damon's heart in two.

"If it were me?" she challenged him, "If I were the one who's life was at stake...wouldn't you give up everything to save me? You would, admit it! You've burned out souls for me...killed for me...broken contracts for me...do not ask me to watch you die!"

The pain in her voice was raw, and it killed him.

Gods, it killed him, because she loved him. Truly she did, and he was going to hurt her.

Her lip trembled when he didn't answer, so instead, he kissed her. Hard.

Pressing their lips together so fiercely that it might have stopped even time itself.

He kissed her and she clung to him, and none of it was fair.

And there, in that desperate moment...he felt it.

A soul passing...a prayer being called.

His name...on a dying tongue.

"No."

* * *

Damon pulled away so quickly, Elena stumbled.

"No," he gasped, his eyes darting as if he was not seeing what was right in front of him.

"What is it?" her brows pulled together as fury replaced the lost look on his face.

Damon's entire expression clouded over with blackness and his eyes flashed red, "My mother."

Elena was not sure what he meant, or what Persephone had to do with the look on his face now that screamed of murder, but he was making demands before she could ask, summoning servants and hounds and guards alike.

Then he placed her sword sheath in her hand, took the other, and pulled her to yet another portal.

* * *

Olympus looked exactly the same.

Damon dropped Elena's palm as they stepped onto the white marble and the sun shone down sweetly utop their heads.

One could almost be fooled by the peaceful appearance.

The entirety of his guard was behind him and he let the blood tie he shared with his mother lead his way to the top of the Mountain...to the Hall of Thrones.

They were waiting for him.

Zeus, Hera, and the others...waiting for him over a dying body.

He heard Elena gasp beside him as she came to the same revelation he had and there was a slink of metal as she drew her sword.

"Ah. Damon," Zeus's voice was almost pleasant, gloating, "Nice of you to join us."

He stared at the blood pooling from his mother's chest, a chest that was still moving ever so slightly, before meeting the All Father's gaze with a deathly focus.

"We had a deal," he growled, loud enough that the room seemed to rattle around him.

The smirk was wiped off Zeus's face and he lifted in hand.

In it, a contract appeared, signed in gods-blood.

"Your mother offered a better bargain. Her life...for yours."

"You want me dead," Damon spat, "How is this the better bargain for you?"

"I want you to suffer!" Zeus roared, "Suffer the way we have suffered the existence of you hell spawns and mixed blooded bastards! I want you to pay for your crimes! I have had more than enough of you flexing your power to bend the rules to your liking. The gods-realm is mine! Olympus is mine! I am King of this Mountain! And you are-"

"King of Hades," Damon crossed the marble, toward Zeus's throne, toward his mother's body, "Lord of the dead. Ruler of the veil, and the only god in the realm who can take the very life from your veins, if I were so inclined…"

"Do...not…" Persephone spoke, her voice faint.

Damon paused near her and crouched down, "Mother."

She stared up at him for but a moment, before the life in her eyes faded away and her chest rose no longer.

"No. NO!" Damon yelled, the word echoing across the hall.

He would not allow this..he would bring her back.

He scooped her body into his arms, pulling her close as he drew on his power.

The veil shifted, until he could feel it; see it...see her.

Persephone stood on the other side, the grey place of purgatory, where she was not yet beyond his reach.

"It is alright, my son," her spirit spoke, standing before him, smiling sadly, "It will all end now. There is no need for war...no need for more death."

Damon shook his head, staring at her hard, "No. I can not lose you."

A shadowy hand reached down to him, and like she had so many times in his youth, his mother scooped his face into her palms, her thumbs brushing over his cheeks.

"You will never lose me," she promised, "For I am eternally with you. In this life, in the next...always. Do not be afraid, my sweet child. You know more than most that death is not an end, but simply a passing to something more. You will live, for your family...and my passing will let this day end in peace."

Damon closed his eyes ever so slightly, but could not concede to her wish.

Perhaps Elena was right, and the realms deserved to burn for the superiority of gods who think they have control of others lives...maybe today was not one for peace, but for an end to a threat.

"It has never been my nature," he whispered to the shadowed spirit, before placing his hand over the heart of his mother's body and drawing the veil over it.

With a flash of light, her soul was ripped through the barrier of worlds and breath returned to her chest, her wound healing.

* * *

The others simply watched, waiting for Zeus to rule his verdict.

Damon met the thunder god's gaze, "You want her dead? You want me to suffer? For this Hellspawn to learn his place? To answer to _my_ crimes?! WHAT OF YOURS?!"

He shot to his feet and the flames of Hades rose with him, reaching up the walls, the doors, and filling the room.

Pure hatred echoed from Zeus's face, as he ignored the fire that began to blaze around him, but the others lost composure.

"I call a hearing now!" Damon bellowed, "A summon to all of you! With Zeus, the All Father, on trial!"

He reached down to help Persephone to her feet as the gods gasped and whispered around the room, shying from the flames guarding the exits.

"My son, leave it be. I am ready to die...to protect you."

"No," he decided, his eyes flickering back to Elena, who stood tall, ready to fight, "Our oppression ends today."

He returned his attention to what remained of the twelve.

"Zeus stands accused of the following. Treason against the throne of Hades. Treason against a bearer of the gods-blood. Murder of one of the gods-blood," he thought of the histories he'd learned, of his own conception, "Zeus advocated the abduction and rape of my mother. His barbariatism and unfaithfulness knows no limitations! Zeus raped the mortal Queen Leda, abducted and raped the mortal Europa, raped the mortal Danae, and has had countless other affairs of note. He killed his first wife, the goddess Metis, through means of canabolism, simply because her children were prophesied to be too powerful and his attention had shifted to you, All Mother."

Damon looked to Hera, who had gone pale.

"He has forced himself on you as well, has he not? Then adds insult to injury by running consort after consort right beneath your nose. Do you still defend him?" he challenged nastily, "Then why don't we ask ourselves why he rules us? He, who would condemn another of the gods blood to a life of torture for simply giving the mortals the gift of fire, as he did to Prometheus. The mortals he claims to love, to rule...so I ask you, what kind of King leads you? And I wonder, what gives him the authority to decide that my crimes, why any of ours, are worthy of punishment while his are not..."

* * *

Silence fell upon the room.

Elena could feel the tension in the air, the uncomfortability of the gods-realm, not knowing how to process the facts they had been given.

Their hypocrisy was staring them in the face and it was clear that they did not favor it.

Zeus, however, was fuming, the red flames reflecting off of his face as he snarled and drew a lightning bolt into his hand.

Feeling a surge of anger herself, Elena let the hellfire of her child flow through her until the tips of her hands were aflamed.

The sword in her palm ate the heat, becoming a weapon of fire as she moved to stand next to her husband.

"You will not win this fight," she warned the All Father.

"So it is true," he appraised her with disgust, "You carry the blood of Hades...the power-"

Damon stepped in front of her, "Will be passed to our heir when the time is right. A day I will be alive to see."

Zeus's lip curled back, "You said you did not want war with Olympus."

"I do not threaten Olympus," Damon noted, "Only you."

He turned to the others, a brow arched, "How does the council so name the accused?"

"He is guilty."

* * *

Damon's head swiveled so fast toward the quiet voice, that he was not sure the person his eyes fell upon had spoken it...but she had.

Upon her throne, anger on her face and retribution in her eyes, Hera condemned her husband and sealed his fate.

Zeus's expression changed, disbelief and betrayal coloring his skin, "Hera…"

The others looked to her as well.

"I am Queen of this domain, a council leader, and he his guilty of all you say," she spoke firmly, ignoring Zeus's look of incredulity, "I also see your heart, son of Hades...and I believe you. Promise me that your fight is not with Olympus...is not with my children. Give me back my son Ares, assure me of peace, and you and your bride will walk from this room with everything you wish."

"I wish for peace," Damon spoke directly to her, "For all the realms. With your guarantee of that peace, I would submit to your demands. But I fear this is a thing your King will not see granted."

She turned her head, first right then left, meeting each of the others eyes.

When most nodded at her in response, Hera focused her gaze back on Damon's.

"He is our King no longer. Do what you will."

* * *

A roar so shattering the white marble cracked escaped the All Father, "You wretched bitch! HOW DARE YOU!"

His hand lifted, the bolt aimed for Hera now, and Damon moved swiftly.

Like fire itself he blazed the air until he was in Zeus's path, his hands on the gods face, ripping his jaw open.

Elena watched as her husband's power surfaced, the Kiss of Death erupting from his very lungs until white hot flames poured from his mouth, to the All Fathers.

The burning was infinite as the entire world seemed to shake, an accumulation of Zeus's power being destroyed.

Every eye in the room was drawn to the light of the two Kings, Zeus's hands digging into Damon's arms as he tried and failed to escape his grasp.

It was too late.

With a blast of energy strong enough to knock all the gods to their feet, Zeus's lifeforce burned out, and the empty shell of the god fell to the foot of his throne.

The All-Father was dead.

* * *

No one spoke for a moment in the aftermath.

Not a soul seemed to know what to say.

Until Hera found her barings and moved to stand next to her husband's body.

Seeing him now, he appeared small somehow...and she felt the strangest sensation...

Like she was free.

Her eyes flickered up to where the Underworld's King was pulling his bride into his arms.

She could sense their love, and could see it in their shared gaze.

Zeus had never loved her like that.

Had never loved anything...

Oh, things would be changing now...but perhaps that was for the best.

In all of the millennium, she had never been given justification for her pain...or the ability to seek justice for the one who had caused her it the most.

Zeus's dead body was the beginning of a new Era...an era where women would no longer stand silent victims to their attackers, but goddess and mortals alike would ignite a flame against all those who would dare abuse them in the name of power and control.

Enough was enough.

"Go from here," she spoke out, to the rulers of Hades, "You have my word that no harm will follow. Send Ares home and he, nor any other of my subjects, will cause you strife."

Damon's head inclined toward her and she sighed, "I misjudged you, son of Hades. You speak truth. Olympus needs reconstruction and once we have it, I will reach out to you...together we will build a better realm for all the future generations."

The death god smiled at her, a genuine emotion, "I look forward to working with the new ruler of Olympus. Long live the Queen."

"Long live the Queen," the others echoed, their heads bowing in tradition.

Hera's throat tightened.

Yes...this was good.

This was fair.

* * *

 **An epilogue will follow this chapter, and the story will wrap up! Hope you all have enjoyed :)**


	24. Chapter 24

**Well guys, this is it! Hope you have all enjoyed this story :)**

* * *

 **Epilogue**

* * *

 _ ***After Many Moons Pass***_

As Damon walked through the caverns of the Underworld, to the iron doors that led to his throne room, a once familiar scene greeted him.

His hellhound, Rhal, let out a low gruff of a bark, as the smell of blood hit both their noses.

"At ease," Damon commanded him, and the hound backed off as they approached the archway.

The doors were shut, but opened for their master as he came upon them.

Inside, was a vision to warm his heart, and cause a little concern.

"You've killed your guard. Again," he stated in a disapproving tone, stepping over a dead body, and Elena turned at the sound.

She was as beautiful as the day she had come to him in this very room, wearing a dress of similar fashion that had slits up to her waist; to make fighting easier.

Or in this case, instructing.

"It was voluntary this time," she promised with a grin that shone nearly as bright as the diadem on her head and the Αλυσίδα πάγου around her neck.

"So eager to die, were they?" he arched a brow as he slipped an arm around her waist.

Elena turned her attention across the room, her smile genuine now, "Eager to help train their future Leige Lord. He has become quite handy with your latest gift."

Damon followed her gaze to where their son was practicing swings with a gleaming steel sword.

It was small; proportioned to his six year old body, and he wielded the weapon with as much grace as his mother wielded hers.

* * *

"Alright, Theo," Elena called the child's attention, "That is enough for today."

The boy made another lunge, and span into a full swing.

"Theokoles!" Elena stated louder, and he drew up short, blushing a little, "Sorry, Mo-"

He took notice of Damon's presence then, and all sword lessons were forgotten as his blue eyes grew large.

"Father!" he shouted, and dropped the sword as he sprinted across the room.

Damon smiled as his son jumped into his arms, and he lifted the boy, "You're back!"

"And you've been busy in my absence," he appraised, "Keeping your Mother on her toes, are you?"

"We're training," Theo answered, "I killed Indus and two others of the guard all by myself!"

Damon listened to his son explain the strategy he and Elena had been working on, until the goddess in question interrupted, "You did well. But now I think it is time to bring them back, yes? Remember, if you wait too long their bodies will decay."

"Oh, right!" Theo wiggled to get down and Damon let him, following as he sprinted across the throne room to the corpse near the staircase, "Father, will you help me?"

Damon crouched down to his sons level, near the body, "If indeed you need my help...but why don't you give it a try?"

Theo's expression grew serious and his dark hair fell into his eyes as he bent down over the body and placed a hand against the cold skin.

Damon sensed the flickering of the veil approach as his son summoned it, but his hold was fleeting.

Without giving hint of any involvement, he reached out with his own power and helped the little Prince pull the thing forward.

"Good," he praised, as Theo smiled in success, "Now reach out with your mind. Picture Indus in you head. You want to bring the correct soul back."

It was a process, but finally, the boy was able to at least partially resurrect the body.

Damon helped a bit at the end, then with the other two bodies, until everyone was alive and well again.

* * *

Elena thanked the guard for assisting as Damon sat on the edge of the staircase with Theo moving back to his lap, "And Mother says once I'm big enough, I can go to the mortal realm and help the warriors in their battles! And I can make their passings easier when they fall in combat, so they don't have to wait in purgatory long."

Damon stroked the child's hair with contentment, "You'll be a fine ruler when the time comes, my son."

"Just like you," the boy beamed and Damon smiled down at him.

"Yes," Elena appeared at his side, her expression mirroring his own, "Just like your father."

Damon sent her a wink, as the iron doors opened once more.

His other hound, Kava, came in first, the three pups from her latest litter trailing in behind, jumping and chewing at each other's exposed rib cages.

"Enough of that," Persephone, who had entered behind them, warned firmly, and the pups settled.

Damon smirked up at his mother, and the bundle in her arms, "I was wondering when you were going to join us."

"Sorry," Persephone greeted, "This one did not care to get dressed after her nap."

The softest of smiles creased Elena's lips as she turned to the bundle, "My darling daughter," she took the young from Persephone's arms, "Alive merely a few months and already such a handful. Thank you so much for looking after her while Theo and I trained."

"My pleasure," Persephone assured her, and glanced back at her son, "You've returned from the meet on Olympus?"

"Until the next waning moon," he nodded, "We will have another council session then, but all holds well thus far. Oh, my sweet," he turned to Elena, "Caroline wanted you to meet her next week for lunch in the Hunter's forest, by the river. She's bringing the twins for a playdate with Theokoles."

"He will enjoy that," she accepted easily, grinning over at their son who had abandoned his father's side to play with Kava and her pups.

"He will," Damon stood up and brushed his hands across his cloak, "And I would enjoy getting to hold my daughter, if you don't mind?"

Elena pretended to consider his request, "Alright. But it will cost you."

"Will it?" he challenged.

"I think a kiss from my husband would be acceptable," she decided and Damon smirked, "That, I am sure I can oblige."

Honoring the compromise, Damon leaned in and pressed his lips against Elena's.

She returned the favor with a passion he loved, the pulled away to surrender their daughter.

"Okay, Princess," she cooed over the newborn, "Time to go see Daddy."

Damon took the girl with careful hands and tucked her close to his chest.

She fit there perfectly, curling into him the moment contact was made.

"She looks more like you each day," he praised, offering his bride another kiss.

"Lucky girl," Persephone winked, making Elena laugh, "Lucky me. Theo is Damon in a smaller body, I'm certain of it! It is only fair that my daughter at least favors me."

* * *

As the two discussed the children's genetics, Damon stared down at his daughter.

She was perfect, and looked so like her mother with her brown curls and dark eyes.

He loved her and his son more than anything...well, almost anything.

With an effort, he tore his gaze from that perfect little face, to stare at his Queen.

Elena.

The love of his existence.

It had been a long day away from her, and suddenly, he needed to have her to himself...for just a while.

"Mother," he cut into their conversation, "If you don't mind, perhaps you could take the children to the gardens before this evening's meal."

Persephone, who loved his children nearly as much as she loved him was always quick to spend time with them when opportunity was presented, and today was no different.

"I think that's a lovely idea," she grinned brightly and reached out for the baby in his arms, "I will have them washed and in the dining hall within a few hours. Why don't the two of you retire for a while. Get some rest before this little sweet has you up all night again."

"I suppose I could use a bath," Elena reasoned, waving to Theo, "If you are certain you do not mind?"

"Not at all," Persephone waved her off, "Take your time, my darlings. I will look after them."

Damon had never appreciated his mother more.

* * *

It took five minutes for Theo, Kava, and the pups to follow Persephone from the room, and even less time for Damon to summon a portal and pull his bride through it.

She gave him a scolding look that was quickly forgiving when he kissed her soundly.

They came together, quickly, fully, not wasting a single moment of what was now rare time alone.

And when they had sated their need for physical connection, they eventually drew a bath in the room's large bear-clawed tub.

Elena settled back against his chest, and as the water stilled around them, all felt right in the world.

"I love you," Damon kissed the top of her head.

Elena tilted her face so that she could look at him, and the sleepy smile on her lips made him feel more like a King than any throne ever could, "I love you too, husband."

He pulled her closer and captured her mouth again, thanking all of the heavens above and caverns below that he had an eternity to live this exact moment over and over again.

Life, Death, Love, War...in the end, it was all a balance.

Choices and chance and contract; a big mess of happenstance that led them to the roads of fate.

Maybe they would have forever, maybe they only had now.

All that really mattered was this moment; this perfect moment, where his children were safe and happy and his bride was content in his arms.

It was good.

It was fair.

And all was well.

* * *

 **The End.**


End file.
